


Legend of The Traveling House

by Kelkat9



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, BAMF Rose, BAMF Rose Tyler, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Smut, Survival Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-04
Updated: 2014-07-06
Packaged: 2018-01-07 11:15:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 80,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1119193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kelkat9/pseuds/Kelkat9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There were twenty great houses of Gallifrey and each decade, one great house was chosen to rule them all.  The Tylers of House Vitex were primed to be chosen next.  An alliance through the marriage of their eldest child, Rose, would assure their success.  This placed Rose in danger no one saw coming.  No one, except perhaps, the Sisterhood of Pythia.  They did their best to prepare her for her fate, a fate that involved a very old legend of a great house lost in time, House Tardis, also known as the Traveling House.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I heard it was Teawithlemon's birthday recently and I missed it :( Well that just won't do! I love her fic and want to give her a little something although since I am incapable of writing anything uh little, it's a tad bit longer and when i say a tad I mean, several chapters. Head smack! I am hopeless at the whole brevity thing.
> 
> This is a Nine/Rose AU. I’m not sure how to describe it other than maybe a touch of Game of Thrones on Gallifrey? If you squint. This chapter is tame but I am rating this ADULT for future chapters.

Rose Tyler was the eldest child of Pete and Jackie Tyler of House Vitex, one of the most prominent and wealthy of the twenty houses of the Gallifreyan Empire and in line to be elected as ruling House of all of Gallifrey. Her father was respected and hated for his place in society. He was ruthless when he needed to be to preserve his family's standing, making alliances, cutting deals, promoting those who favoured his House and working the political structure like a fine game of chess. His wife, Jackie, was more domestic, overseeing the family and its residences. She also was instrumental in bestowing favours on those less fortunate and was known for her generosity and charity. Together they were a force to be reckoned with and many of the other houses were unhappy with their gaining popularity and political clout. They had two children, Rose, a twenty year old daughter and Tony, a ten year old son. It would be natural for other houses to desire an alliance through marriage with House Vitex and thus there was a bevy of matrimonial lobbying.

Pete Tyler was no fool. He knew that to keep their family in a position of power it was necessary to entertain these proposals and matrimonial overtures and play them out. His son was still young and he had much time to plan for his future but Rose was reaching an age when he could no longer put off a decision. She was young, healthy, clever, beautiful and well pedigreed. After all, she was a descendent of a priestess of Pythia through her mother's family and through Pete's family could lay claim to a bloodline that could be traced to the great founder of modern Gallifreyan society, Rassilon himself. That combined with her family's present status made her a most desirable match.

For many years Pete Tyler had been cajoled, courted, flattered, offered many opportunities and political alliances for a promise of Rose's hand in a matrimonial alliance. He had successfully avoided a commitment but his ability to continue this dance around her future was at an end. It was coming time for him to decide Rose's fate and which House shall join to his through her marriage. His wife had been displeased at his refusal to consult with her. She wanted what was best for Rose. Pete, however, had to choose what was best for House Vitex. His daughter knew that their family's survival and success depended on choices such as these. He sipped a goblet of wine in his study as he thought of Rose. She was aware of her family obligations but that didn't mean she necessarily agreed. She was stubborn like her mother and determined like him. Still, he was head of their house and he would decide who she married and under what terms.

Unfortunately, there were others on Gallifrey that felt Pete Tyler would not make the correct choice. House Torchwood, the Van Statten family, had made what they felt was a most generous offer, a marriage with their eldest heir, Adam. Pete Tyler had not treated the offer with as much of respect as they felt they deserved and they felt spurned. Anger and resentment settled in the head of the house Van Statten and a plan was hatched. If Adam would not have Rose, if they could not procure this match and were not afforded the respect they thought they deserved, then House Vitex would suffer. And thus Rose's fate was sealed.

Rose was a spirited young lady who enjoyed racing across the scarlet grassed fields of Gallifrey on the back of her horse, Arcadia. She often visited the Pythian temple nestled in the silver treed forests on the Mountain of Solace. There, she learned from the Sisterhood of Pythia about the lost history of Gallifrey which was generally considered forbidden and not discussed at the Prydonian Academy where she attended classes. She hated the school and its stodgy rules and disapproving teachers always chastising her for her lack of discipline and rebellious nature.

She couldn't help it. She wanted to know where the rules and laws came from and why they were so rigid and couldn't be changed. She was always lectured that young impertinent ladies should appreciate that those with far more insight and experience from Gallifrey's Dark Times had enacted such rules for the good of their culture. Rose hated that answer. It wasn't enough for her.

The Sister of Pythia, however, had access to ancient scrolls that those lofty and allegedly wise forefathers had not been able to destroy in their haste to _protect_ the population from itself. The Sisters had been not been treated well during this time, accused of being charlatans, liars, manipulators and banished from the cities if not imprisoned. Few remained and even fewer knew of the ancient ways. Rose was fortunate to have access to them and be favoured by the Reverend Mother.

Dressed in her loose blue top with leather corset, breeches and long coat, her hair plaited and bound with a gold band, she hopped off her horse and entered the temple. It was a simple stone structure built into the mountain and blended into the reddish and grey rocks. It had two simple pillars at the top of steps leading to its entrance. She ran up the steps and stepped into the darkened doorway. As the scent of spicy incense enveloped her, she closed her eyes and let the frustrations from school and her family's marital plans for her fall away. This was a place of peace and knowledge.

She opened her eyes and once accustomed to the dim light walked up to a stone font with water in it. She dipped her fingers in and dotted the water on her forward praying for peace and enlightenment. She then continued into the cavernous stone room. Women were meditating on colourful woollen carpets laid throughout the room. Many of the blue and grey robed women who walked about, lighting candles, incense, sweeping or quietly talking to one paused to smile at Rose. She nodded back as her boots clicked across the slate coloured floor. She looked up at the ceiling which was domed and sparkled in the soft lighting from the minerals embedded within it as she walked through the meditation room.

Soon, she made her way to a chamber at the end where the Reverend Mother was waiting for her with tea, handing her a cup as soon as Rose sat on the large orange silken pillows.

"Good day, Reverend Mother," Rose said with a smile. "You look lovely today," she noted.

The Reverend Mother was quite older than Rose, her long silver hair bound beneath a cerulean blue hooded robe embroidered in sparkling silver threat in a an ancient Gallifreyan design. She smiled at rose, her light blue eyes sparkling at her student.

"That is most kind, Rose. You, on the other hand, look troubled. May I ease your burdens?"

Rose sighed and sipped the simply prepared tea. "I'm afraid not Reverend Mum," Rose responded using her nickname for the Reverend Mother. "My father is pretty set on me marrying someone who'll give him a political advantage no matter what I think."

The Reverend Mother sipped her own tea and watched Rose. Her movements were simple and elegant and she radiated a sense of acceptance and peace. She knew who she was and had found her purpose. "Your father wants only what is best for your House and through it you. I take it you disagree with his choice?"

Rose set her cup down and leaned back against the mass of pillows. "Oh, he hasn't chosen yet. It's just all the options are just…Oh they're all dull as dirt or arrogant prats or don't give a flip about me and it's all about the power and politics. They'd marry me and lock me away somewhere."

"Your father would never allow you to be locked away," the Reverend Mother assured her.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Well not as in a dungeon, I mean a cage. No one wants to be in cage, even a pretty, posh one. I want more Reverend Mum. I want to see more of Gallifrey, travel, learn, do important things."

"And marrying and helping your family is not important?" she asked.

Rose's brow furrowed. "Who's side are you on?"

The Reverend Mother smiled. "There are no sides, only destiny. It is your destiny to marry and be a lady of a great House of Gallifrey."

Rose leaned closer to the table. "What do you mean? Have you seen something?" she asked, her interest piqued. She knew the Reverend Mother was one of the few Pythia left who had the sight. She could see all that was, is or ever could be. It was a very sacred ability and one that was a heavy burden to bear.

The Reverend Mother reached beneath the table and retrieved a hammered metal brass bowl and placed it on the table. She poured the remains of the teapot into the bowl, bits of tea leaves swirling around as steam rose and drifted upward. Rose leaned forward and gazed into the bowl unsure of what she should see or if she should see anything. It wasn't like she'd ever had a vision.

The Reverend Mother grasped Rose's hand in hers and gazed at her. "Everything changes. Nothing is static. Time is in flux and especially around you. There are moments, special moments, pivotal really, temporal tipping points where one choice can change the universe. You will face many temporal nexus points in your life. These will not be easy times but you will face them nonetheless. Listen to your heart, trust your instincts. You, more than anyone in your house, has the ability to see the possibilities, alternatives and make the leap of faith. You knew enough to come here and seek answers not available in your school. You knew there was more. These instincts will be your guide in all that you face ahead of you."

"I don't understand," Rose said, worried she was missing some important point and unable to contemplate how she could be important.

"You will understand when the time is right."

Rose looked at the swirling tea leaves. "Looks like a storm or chaos or something," she commented. "Am I supposed to see something?"

The Reverend Mother let go of her hand and sat back gazing at her. "You have seen all you need to see."

"I still don't get it," Rose said, shaking her head.

"I think we should discuss the Legend of House Tardis today," the Reverend Mother announced, effectively ending their prior conversation.

Rose stared at the Reverend Mother as she pulled out scrolls and started talking about the ancient lost house of Tardis and how it disappeared in what some said was a Time Storm and how legend had it, it would fall back through time when Gallifrey entered a time of great tribulation, when Gallifrey needed the guidance of the great wandering House. Rose sighed. Well that was that. You never knew what you'd get with the Sisters of Pythia. She smiled at the name the Reverend Mother used, Great Wandering House. Sounded like an interesting place to her.

That would be the last time Rose visited the Reverend Mother and the Temple on the Mountain of Solace. Fate was intervening in the form of an enemy of House Vitex. As she raced across the fields as she had every day, someone was watching and waiting. Rose never saw what was coming for her. One moment she was riding, the next, she was struck by a burst of energy. As she fell from her horse, a cloak of blackness enveloped her. Her next memory was being dragged through musty, damp tunnels, her booted feet dragging on the dirty floor. She tried to focus but her head lolled to the side as two armoured men pulled her forward. The air was foul with the scent of refuse, sweat and some sour putrid odour she could not identify. She tried to open her eyes but everything was blurry.

Things came into focus as she realized she was in a dungeon like place with barred doors sporadically placed amidst the stone walls. She struggled briefly but her captors held her arms tight.

"Let me go!" she mumbled and then tried digging her heals in to stop them. "My father is head of House Vitex! He'll have your head for doin' this!" she said with a little more strength as she regained her senses.

She struggled more and one of the men slapped her across the face. She looked up at him, anger flaring in her eyes. "How dare you!"

The other man laughed at her. "She's a spirited one. Perfect for himself. Should keep 'im amused." He reached down and slapped her hips. "She's a good breeder too. Bet we get a killer out of this pair!"

"Why you…" she screamed and squirmed loose attacking the other guard. "My father will have your head!"

They laughed and grabbed her arms as she tried to kick them. "A fighter too. Good."

"She says she's a lady," the other one said.

"House Vitex women all wear emblems. She ain't got any. Chuck her in already and let's go have a pint!"

Rose looked at her hand and realized her ring was gone, her Vitex seal. The medallion around her neck was missing too. "No!" she shouted just as she was tossed into a cell. The door clanked shut and the two guards walked away.

Rose cursed in the dark cell. The stone floor was slightly damp and she could see dim light at the far side. A tall wide shouldered figure stood up and took a step toward her.

She backed up looking for a weapon. She was a lady of House Vitex and she'd be damned before she allowed anyone in a place like this to touch her much less some criminal locked up in here. She felt around until she found a stick of wood that looked like a table leg from a smashed piece of furniture.

"Oi you there, get back!" she shouted, holding up the wooden leg as a weapon. "Don't think 'cos they tossed me in here I'm your play thing or…your um meal or whatever!" she commanded brandishing her weapon before her.

The figure kept walking forward until she could see it was a man. He was tall and well-muscled. He had on a leather vest, boots and leather trousers that fit him like a second skin. He had close cropped hair and a strong jawline. But it was his eyes that pinned her. As he moved into the light, she saw ice blue eyes judging her.

"Put that thing down before you hurt yourself," he ordered.

She tilted her chin up stubbornly. "I will not and I demand that you identify yourself!"

"You? Demandin? That's a bit rich," he snorted and held out his arms waving around the cell.

"Look around you, Lady. We're in prison, both of us. Nobody gets to demand anything here. You and me, we're equals so get off your pedestal," he said in harsh voice.

"Now, if you're feeling a little less violent like, there's food and water back here. Otherwise, stay there. I don't care." He turned and walked back to the dimly lit alcove. He flipped on an oil lamp which illuminated the back of the cell. There was a table, chair and a nest of blankets which must be his bed.

Rose sighed and thought to herself sarcastically how this day just kept getting better and better. She waited a few moments watching him. It looked like he was writing in a journal and was otherwise ignoring her. She lowered her arm and looked around the small cramped cell which was only as tall as her dubious cellmate. She walked over to the barred door and tried jiggling it but it didn't' move. She sank down by the opening looking out into the dingy corridor.

She thought back to what had happened. She had visited the Pythia, received a mysterious reading by the Reverend Mother and then…been ambushed. She rubbed her palms over her trousers missing her family ring. Someone knew what they were doing. This was no petty criminal. This was a planned attack against her family. Then she wondered how long she had been unconscious. A hint of panic and then a sick feeling of worry stabbed through her. Her Mum would be so worried and her father…

She covered her mouth with her hand. He would be furious on many levels. They'd never find her here. She had to get out and figure out where she was and right now getting out looked a bit hopeless. Rose looked back at her cell mate to find him staring at her.

"You don't have to be afraid. I promise I won't hurt you, not like they want me to."

That's when it hit Rose that if she was going to get out, she would need help. To do that, she needed to find out what kind of man she was locked up with.

"You didn't' tell me your name," she finally said.

"You didn't exactly tell me yours now did you," he retorted, crossing his arms, leaning backing in the simple wooden chair, his long legs stretched out before him.

"I'm Rose, Rose Tyler," she answered, deciding to leave out her House name as this wasn't the safest place and she didn't know anything about this man.

"You told them you were a Lady."

"Yeah, I did. And you, what's your name?"

His jaw clenched. "You can call me the Doctor."

She arched a brow. "The Doctor? Just the Doctor?"

He nodded.

"That supposed to be impressive?"

"It is impressive, that's me, who I am. Now then, Lady Rose Tyler, why don't you get your arse off that filthy floor and come over where I can get a better look at you."

She stood up and dropped the piece of wood she'd held as a weapon and walked over to him.

He looked her up and down and nodded. "You have a look of a Gallifreyan Lady about you, not that the rabble out there would notice. You're lucky they tossed you in here with me. Could have been much worse for you."

Rose swallowed hard as she realized what he was implying and nodded. "Yeah, s'pose it could've been." She found a stool under the table and pulled it out and sat down as he poured some water in a dented metal cup and shoved over toward her.

She whispered her thanks and sipped. "So how'd you get tossed in here then?"

"How'd you?" he asked.

"I was abducted on my way home. One moment I was riding cross the fields near Mt. Solace and the next thing I woke up here."

He leaned in close to her. "Mt. Solace. Used to spend summers there running about, making mischief." He paused and looked at her as if he could see right through her. "You don't belong here, Rose Tyler."

Rose looked just as hard at him, her eyes trailing up and down his solid form, lingering on his toned chest and well defined arms. "Neither do you," she said without thinking.

"Yeah, how do you know that?"

She shook her head. "I dunno, I just do."

He leaned back looking sceptical. "Maybe you do and maybe you don't. Either way, we're both stuck here…for now."

"Yeah, for now. So how's this place work then?"

Just then a stone door grinded open letting in a blinding light and heat. He stood up and walked over to a wall grabbing a leather bag which he strapped on his back. "Come on, we have to go if we want food and water."

"But this is prison, isn't it? Don't they just give it to you?"

"This isn't just a prison. It's worse than that. We don't go out there, we starve or die of thirst or they feed us to somethin' bigger and stronger than us." He walked over and looked her up and down. In my time, a lady of Gallifrey was strong and could handle herself. You up for a challenge cause if you're not, you're dead."

Rose looked out at the desert like landscape and then back at him. "I'm not like some of those vain useless ladies. I can handle myself, maybe even better than you."

He barked out a laugh. "That so, well, come on then." He grabbed her hand, his larger hand enveloping hers but seeming to fit perfectly. He tugged her outside where the dry hot air hit her and almost stole her breath.

"Rose Tyler, welcome to the Death Zone," he informed her then stilled and looked out among the sand and rocky terrain. A giant scorpion like creature the size of a man appeared at the top of nearby sand dune, its stinger laden tail taught and poised to strike. His hand gripped hers firmly and he turned to her with a look of excitement in his eyes. "Run!" he commanded and pulled her along as they made their way through the harsh landscape away from the menacing monster in pursuit of them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose and the Doctor in the Death Zone. They have to face off against some terrible things but grow just a bit closer in the process.

Rose's lungs were burning as heat from the twin suns beat down on them as they raced across the sand and rock desert. Her skin was slick with perspiration and she wanted nothing more than to yank her partner to a stop so she could at least toss her long coat off but she was stubborn. This desert would be a frozen wasteland before she gave him the satisfaction of stopping first. She had told him she was tough and she was.

He, on the other hand, didn't even look out of breath. He kept scanning the landscape as if he expected more of the giant scorpion creatures to jump out at them. This made Rose tense and was what kept her legs working even when she wanted to drop. They climbed up a rocky slope, the gravel slipping and sliding beneath their boot clad feet, when he stopped suddenly and pulled her down to the ground. Lying on the ground next to him, Rose paused, listening and looking around as much as he would let her move. She winced as she felt a particularly sharp rock poking her in the hip. After a while she leaned over.

"What…" she started to say before he glared and covered her mouth with his hand.

Rose felt her temper rising. She wasn't dumb and didn't need some arrogant prat like him treating her rough shod like this. His blue eyes bore into her brown ones and he removed his hand putting a finger to his lips with an extra glare to make his point. Rose squinted her eyes and pursed her lips, biting down on what she wanted to say to him. He motioned for her to stay put while he crawled up the slope on his stomach.

As Rose lay there feeling angry, miserable and a hint frightened, she pondered this man who she now found her fate bound to and had to form some type of partnership with to survive if not escape. Rose did what her father taught her, analyse the situation, pros and cons then make a plan. What did she know about this man? She knew he went by the name the Doctor and he didn't appear to want to harm her. He was in prison but then so was she so that was not proof positive he was a criminal or had evil intents. The guards seemed to think he was dangerous. They wanted her to… she stopped that line of thinking as there was no way that was happening.

Rose looked at him as he skimmed upward, shoving dirt and gravel back at her as he wiggled forward. He was strong, tough and looked like a man who'd been through the rough side of life. His boots were scuffed, his leather trousers showed well toned and muscled legs. Her eyes skimmed up those legs over an arse she was most definitely not admiring to his torso. He had a few scars on his shoulders from what she could see around his leather vest. When he stilled, he was like a perfectly sculpted statue.

Rose paused, where had thought come from? She rubbed dirt and dust off her face, clearly the sun was effecting her. She focused on what else she knew about him. He'd said ladies in his day were tough. How old was he? He couldn't be more than forty and things hadn't changed that much during his life. She pondered this. Maybe he was from one of the outer less developed regions, away from the capitol. Rose had read about how there were those who rejected civilized life and lived more basic, Outsiders. She'd never seen one before. But, he was smart, educated and was keeping a journal. Would an Outsider do that? Rose really looked at him. He moved efficiently, gracefully and with purpose and her instincts screamed at her that he was more like some of paintings she'd seen of the old Prydonian lords. He had an air about him and was far more knowledgeable than any outsider would be. In fact, she suspected he was a lot more clever than he let on.

Just as she thought about what sort of morals and ethics he had, being a man living in the dungeons of whatever that place was and who was so intimately acquainted with something called the Death Zone, she felt something on her back. Slowly she turned her head and caught a glimpse of a scorpion, an arthropod, this one closer to the size of an orange instead of the giant one they'd first encountered. She dug her fingers into the sand as she watched it the black segmented creature hold up its pincers and as its tail raised into the air, a sharp spine clearly evident. Sweat poured off of her as she tried not to panic and wondered how quickly it would sting her and how poisonous it was.

A rock whizzed by her head smacking the insect off her back and Rose quickly rolled away. A strong hand reached down and pulled her up the embankment. She looked up to find the Doctor staring down at her and then gently slap her cheek. "No place to be nappin."

Rose sat up and shoved him back. "I wasn't nappin! Someone told me to stay put while he did his sneaky warrior thing."

He ignored her sarcastic remark. "You didn't flinch. Good. You'll need that out here. Worse things than an arthropod in this place."

"Just what is this Death Zone? I mean where are we?"

He grabbed her hand and yanked her up to the top of the slope and shoved her down, his body covering hers and his chin resting on her shoulder. "Look," he commanded.

Rose felt her breath hitch. They were on a ridge and beneath them was more desert with a few rocky outcroppings dotting the barren copper coloured soil. What made her pause were the bodies. There must have been hundreds of them, all different species and at different stages of decay lining the desert floor beneath them. More creatures were wandering amongst the dead, fighting each other and scavenging. Some looked humanoid, others had scales or feathers; some had multiple appendages and scampered around or leaped at their opponents like giant insects; others, looked made of minerals and sparkled in the light; some had claws or were so bloodied, battered or mutated she couldn't tell what they were. She'd never seen anything like this, all the blood and gore, creatures ripping each other apart and for what? There were sick grunting, howling and clashing noises. The wind picked up carrying the scent of death and decay and Rose turned away trying not to be sick.

"It's not just where but when. See, all those people out there, they've been brought here, scooped off their planets and throughout time to battle it out for survival. The only prize is life. The winner gets to live another day."

"But why?" Rose gasped. "Who's doin' this?" she asked as she tried to get a grip and not fall apart and panic.

The Doctor snorted. "Who do you think? You look like you've been educated, sent off to some academy no doubt. Bet they teach you about the great Gallifreyan Empire, one of the oldest and most respected races in the universe. They teach you all about it how superior we are. Think they told you everything about us? Our history?"

He huffed. "As if they'd tell the truth, if they even know what the truth is anymore. But I'm sure nobody's asking the questions. Everything's fine as long as they have their pretty little houses and political games. Only, it's not. That out there is what's real."

"You're saying we're doing this?"

"Not we!" he said in a deep voice. "Them, those in power. It's a game cause their bored. Too much power and they think they can do anything," he spit out and glowered as he looked out across the field of the dead.

Rose slowly turned back to the bloody spectacle below. She thought back to her lessons with the Reverend Mum and what she knew of the ancient past which wasn't much. It was her ancestor who was one of the lords that changed Gallifrey, brought the people into a new age. That new age wasn't supposed to include kidnapping people and forcing them to kill each other. It was beyond her comprehension. She looked back at him. "I don't believe you! If this was going on people would know! And they'd stop it!"

He rolled is eyes. "Typical. They raised you up to be the perfect little Gallifreyan, go off to the academy, marry who your told, don't ask, just be proud you're lucky enough to be one of us and never seeing what's in front of you."

"That's not true! I know a lot more than most," she snapped back in a quiet harsh voice. "My teachers, they're not exactly pleased with me. I ask too many questions so I…" she stopped. She didn't know him and wasn't about to betray the Reverend Mum. What happened at her visits were a secret.

He looked at her with speculation. "Ask too many questions? That how you ended up here then?"

Rose stared at him. "I…no. I don't think so." But the truth was she wasn't sure now. She wasn't sure of anything. Could this really be happening? And, without her father knowledge and Rose refused to believe her father, poised to be elected to lead their people, would condone this.

"Come on. It's not safe to be in any one place for too long," he said and grasped her hand. He looked at her with less accusation and more…compassion.

Rose didn't understand him. He was Gallifreyan yet he acted like he hated their people and yet he could show kindness to her. It was so confusing. Then there was all of this, the Death Zone. Her world, now more than ever, tilted. Rose laced her fingers with his and followed along as they made their way around the ridge and down toward battlefield. They crouched behind some boulders, the scent of death almost overpowering. "We have to cross," he said tersely.

Rose's heart started to thud. "Through all of that," she gasped, her memory still fresh on what she'd seen.

"Yeah," he said tersely and he knelt down to her, gripping her by the shoulders. "You're gonna do this. You don't have a choice 'cos if we don't, no food or water, clear?"

Rose nodded her head. "What about weapons?"

"Carry a weapon, you become more of a target. It's what that lot is lookin' for."

"But they'll attack us," Rose replied, her eyes darting around like she expected someone to jump out at her any minute.

"Might do, but they have to catch us first. You did pretty good back there, you didn't fall or flinch. You're a strong one, Rose Tyler. Now, enough chin wagging." With that, he pulled her up and they dashed into the battle field.

They ran. They ran through decaying corpses, sand, gravel, sticky things, things that crunched, and through clouds of tiny insects. Rose tried not to look down, tried not to breath through her nose and only thought: Run, cross, escape, don't look down. He would yank her one way or another and when she skidded across something slippery, he stopped her from falling. Neither of them spoke.

There was one incident with something that jumped across the battle field at them. The Doctor shoved Rose behind him as she looked up in terror at the creature that was part beetle, part man. It had a hard metallic looking shell covered in stick red and green goo. It was bipedal with three other appendages, one looking like it had been torn off. The head was half insect, half humanoid in that it had a mouth not unlike hers, but the rest of the face was insect-like. The Doctor stared it down. The beetle made an aggressive movement toward him but the Doctor stood still, unrelenting, tall and imposing. He made a clicking whistling sound and the creature backed off and scurried away toward the body of some poor creature on the ground that was moving, barely still living.

"Run," he said softly, grabbing her hand and guiding them across the body strewn field until they reached several large boulders on the other side. He pulled, pushed and shoved her up between them and over an embankment until she rolled down the other side, landing against more rocks. He grabbed her under her arm and pulled her up, pushing her forward. Rose normally would have complained but after what she witnessed, she was in no mood to say much of anything.

They walked up and down arid, gravel laid hills, across indentations that looked like they were dried up streams and soon into a landscape that had more plant growth, tumbleweeds, cacti and other small ground cover. All the while, Rose thought of the battlefield. Finally, she couldn't stand the silence. "You know where you're going?" she finally asked as he marched silently next to her.

"Course, clever me. Besides, I've been here awhile, I know what to find and where. You all right then?" he asked, clearly concerned for her but giving her time to process the horror of what they'd just crossed.

"Yeah," she answered softly, her arms wrapped around herself.

"No, you're not," he responded. "How could you be after what you've faced?"

He stopped and turned her around. He looked her in the eyes as if searching for something and then pulled a leather flask from his bag and shoved it at her.

"You look ready to drop. Probably sweat a good litre out of yourself already."

Rose was suspicious and stared at the flask and then him.

He rolled his eyes. "If I wanted you dead, I had at least a dozen or more chances. Drink. I'm not carrying you back."

Rose took a swig of the stale tasting water and wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her long coat. "So we have to go back to that prison cell?"

He took a swallow of the water, tucked the flask away in his pack and looked her in the eyes. "You don't want to be out here at night."

Rose looked around them nervously, not seeing anything other than desert and some greenery and not hearing anything other than wind. "Worse than them arthropods?" she asked, still scanning the area.

"The stuff of nightmares. Don't let the quiet fool you. We're being watched. Now come on."

Eventually, he led her to a narrow canyon. He pointed out some bushes with berries and told her to only pick the yellow ones as the green ones were a hallucinogenic and the purple ones acidic and deadly. He handed her a leather pouch and sent her off while he went hunting. Rose never asked what he was hunting and wasn't sure she wanted to know.

She found the thorny bushes and did her best to pick what he asked with only minimal damage to herself. She also noticed thymol and Uluthra growing nearby which she new from her studies with the Reverend Mum had many medicinal purposes so she picked some leaves and blossoms from those plants as well. Further along, she saw other plants she recognised and made a mental note in case she ever needed them. Shadows were growing long as she made her way in the canyon and she felt a chill.

It was amazing to her how quickly the temperature dropped in the desert. There were dark crevasses in this canyon and she started to feel nervous. He was right. Something was watching her. She slowly backed up until a hand grabbed her shoulder. She turned ready to defend herself to find a very irate Doctor glaring at her.

"Don't ever wander off!" he said an in angry voice.

"Sorry, was just seeing if there was anything else useful."

"Don't care. Don't do it again or I'll leave you."

He turned around and Rose saw the bag looked fuller. She swallowed hard when she wondered what that meant. "What about water?"

"This way," he said without looking back at her and marched forward.

"Bloody annoying, know it all git," she muttered in frustration as she followed.

He whipped around and stormed up to her. "Listen up, this is the real world. People die here. You wanna whinge, fine, but pay attention. Stick close, don't wander off and be ready to run. Spring's up ahead."

With that he stomped off. Rose sighed and ran after him. Another piece of information to tuck away about him is how volatile he was, one moment being kind and understanding and the next a cranky defensive pain in the arse. Still, she did feel somewhat safe with him, at least so far. He also knew this place and if she was to survive, she was going to have to learn to trust him. She just hoped that she could.

He showed her how to dig a trench near the rocks where the spring was and filter any unpalatable minerals or debris from the water and fill up two enormous waterskins he had in his bag.

As they were walking back in the quickly cooling and darkening landscape, she decided it was time to start asking questions.

"How'd you fit so much in that pack? Doesn't look that big."

"Dimensionally Transcendental." He then looked over with a pleased smile . "Bigger on the inside."

"Oh yeah," she said nodding. "I remember reading something about that in school. The inside's in a different dimension. Transcendental engineering, Lord Omega's theory.

"Omega! What rubbish. He didn't invent Dimensional Transcendentalism! What time are you from?"

"The Age of Rassilonialism," she answered without hesitation, thinking on what he said.

He snorted. "Typical! Control the masses, muck around with the records and twist it to what you want until no one knows what came from where."

"I think so too. Told you, I…I kept asking about our history but my teachers weren't too keen on me about it. Told me I should just be grateful for what I have."

"Good on you for asking. To bad there's not more people pushing for answers. Course, maybe there were. After all, look where you ended up."

Rose walked along side him for a while. "You never told me how you got here."

He didn't answer her.

"I've told you a lot about me but you haven't told me anything except your name. Might help us to get on better, if you told me a bit about yourself, Doctor."

He looked over at her and then ahead. "Better you not know, safer for you."

"Look where we are and that…that war zone we have to cross. I saw you face off against that thing and how it ran away. You said something to it, didn't ya?"

"Quibruchus, that's what it was. Yeah, I did say something. Good at talking, me. Amazing what it can do for you."

"Better than a spear or a cannon from what I could see but then maybe it's more about the man and his words than the talking itself," she shot back.

"Got a mouth on you," he said and smiled. "Weapons kill people, Rose. That's what it means to pick one up. Tips the scales and puts you in danger, makes you target. Never forget that. You pick up that weapon, you better be able to use it and I mean kill and killings not as easy as you think."

Rose could see a shadow pass over him as though he was thinking about all the death they had seen but Rose had a feeling it was more personal. "I'm sorry," she said softly and compassionately.

He nodded brusquely. "My family's gone. I'm the last of my House, no one left but me."

Rose could barely conceive of that. A House on Gallifrey had many members that went well beyond, mother, father, brother, sister, aunt and uncle. There were cousins and second cousins and great aunts and great uncles. Everyone was connected unless you were one of the Outsiders. It wasn't just family either. There was a subtle telepathic connection everyone in the family shared, not talking or hearing thoughts but more like an empathic connection, a hum in your mind. Even now, here, she could feel it. That's when it hit her, he couldn't.

She reached out grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers with his and held him tight. "There's me. You're not alone as long as there's me."

He looked at her stunned. "You don't understand," he said harshly and strode ahead but Rose didn't let go of his hand. Rose Tyler was many things and stubborn topped the list. If she decided he wasn't alone, then he wouldn't be.

They reached the ridge and the sky was tinged orange and red almost symbolic of what they faced. Rose peeked over the edge and saw shadows stretched across the death filled land beneath them making it look more ominous. Her first thought was that this was more dangerous than earlier.

"What's your House name?" she asked as she scanned the land before them noting every little movement.

"It doesn't matter."

"Well, it matters to me. I could die helping you so I'd like to know who I'm dying for."

He shot her an angry look. "House names don't matter! All that matters is right here, right now, this is who I am, the Doctor! And you're not gonna die! Not today."

"Right," she sighed. "Suppose that'll have to do, for now. You're the expert and I really don't want to die so I'll do it your way, for now. That doesn't mean I won't ask again."

He calmed down and might have pouted a bit. "I need you to trust me," he finally said.

She nodded. "I want to, I really do and as far as out here goes, in this Death Zone, I do. I trust you, Doctor. But, in the big picture of us eventually getting out of all of this, you and me have to…we have to understand each other."

He nodded his head. "Good enough. Come on, it's not getting any better out there."

The crossing this time was indeed harder. Although Rose was able to stay more alert, there were things moving in the shadows, things that were dragging bodies off. Rose could hear bones snapping and slurping noises. It set her on edge and not just her. A man dressed in armour ran at her, his sword held high, fear glistening in his eyes. He wasn't thinking, just attacking. At the same time, the Doctor was struck from behind by a bloodied Silurian Warrior. Rose saw the green lizard-like creature pounce as she ducked the man attacking her.

The Doctor kicked the injured Silurian in his abdomen, barely avoiding a strike by its lethal venomous forked tongue. Rose's attacker was screaming in some strange language she didn't recognize and was swinging down at her when she tumbled by him and shoved him at one of the shadowy creatures that seemed to ooze along the ground toward them. He let out an ear piercing scream and then all Rose heard was his round armoured shield clang to the ground. She picked it up as the Silurian went back after the Doctor. It slashed at him with taloned hands which he easily ducked, except one blow that sliced through the Doctor's pack which then dripped blood from whatever creature he had killed in his hunt.

Rose raced up behind the mad Silurian and smashed it over the head with the shield. It fell to the ground unconscious. Rose stood trembling staring down at it, still holding the shield and breathing heavily. The Doctor plucked the shield from her hand and tossed it aside.

"Rose," he said urgently.

She looked up at him. "I wanna leave," she said in a shaky voice. He nodded and they ran, avoiding other fighting creatures and the vicious shadow creatures. They climbed up the embankment and were almost back to their cell when they realized the blood leaking out the Doctor's bag was drawing attention, the wrong kind of attention. There were three giant scorpions surrounding them. He slid the bag off his shoulder and held out to Rose. "Run. Get in the cell, they can't follow."

"I'm not leaving you," she said quietly.

He shook the bag at her. "Yes you are. Take it and go. I'll deal with them. He then pulled a silver penlight object out of a hidden pocket, the tip glowing blue. When he realized Rose hadn't moved and just looked at him, he almost growled in frustration. "Rose, take the bloody bag and run!" he said in an angry voice.

Rose slowly took the bag, a look of concentration on her face as she looked at him and the giant black scorpions surrounding them. She backed up slowly, clearly unhappy at leaving him. He waved his silver penlight device at the deadly creatures whose poison stingered tails were arched in the air as their pinchers moved dangerously close to the Doctor. Soon, she was backed up into the cell, her eyes not leaving him or the creatures moving in around him.

The Doctor knew this was bad. He'd never faced off against three of these creatures before. They were fast and all he had was his sonic device with limited setting. Considering it was cobbled together from parts he'd scavenged from the battlefield, he wasn't feeling exactly confident. He knew he could resonate a frequency that should put them off but there were no guarantees. He flicked the setting and one of the insects skittered away, its pinchers snapping, the other turned on it, attacking. The larger one, however, attacked the Doctor. The stinger just barely missed him and plunged into the ground next to him. He darted off to the side. Again it attacked and soon had him pinned against a boulder. He tried to focus, slow down to see things properly but knew he had little hope, pincher or stinger were his choices and he wasn't sure he could survive either.

Guilt consumed him. Rose was counting on him. He hadn't known her long but could see something in her, something special. She didn't deserve this. He had to live if for no other reason than help her. Not that he deserved to live, but helping free her would help allay some of the heavy guilt he carried over past actions. He shifted to the side and the Scorpion swung its tail around. He cursed as he saw the stinger and then everything shifted.

Suddenly, it was like time slowed and the scorpion paused and then convulsed. Green and yellowish fluid pooled beneath it and it collapsed and that's when he saw her. She was terrified and yet so brave. The daft girl had come out after him. The scorpion had a large wooden table leg piercing it and it looked like it had been struck several times. He could barely comprehend it so he did what he did best.

"You stupid girl! I told you to get inside!"

She looked at him, standing there covered in dirt and sweat and whatever else had landed on her in the battlefield, her eyes a bit vacant. She stiffened her posture and there was a fire in her eyes. "You're welcome," she said in a clipped voice. Then, she turned and walked into their cell.

He walked around the carcass which had attracted even more attention and quickly ducked inside the cell. He found her collapsed in a corner, wrapped up in a ball rocking back and forth crying. The door to the Death Zone shut and ran over and scooped her into his arms.

"I'm sorry, Rose. It'll…It'll be all right. Promise. There, now my girl. Shhhhh. It's over now." He continued to croon with her in his arms, marvelling at her and how he'd come to be so lucky to have such a clever brave woman thrust at him like this. Tomorrow he would talk to her. Tomorrow it would be time to assess their assets and make a plan for if there was one thing he was sure of, this brave girl didn't deserve this and whoever put her here was going to be hearing from him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter the Doctor and Rose grow closer but things will go pear shaped. More and adventure and a touch of horror here but no giant scorpions or beetle people - promise!

That first night, Rose cried herself to sleep in the Doctor's arms, partly from exhaustion and partly from the shock of what she'd seen and done. He cradled her, his eyes closed as she held onto him. He whispered comforting words and just held her until she stilled and her breathing evened out. It had been so long since he'd held someone like this, had another warm body so close to him seeking comfort and he revelled in it. Parts of him he thought dead and forgotten awakened reminding him he was more than just a survivor, that deep down he was once an explorer, a student of the universe and a high member of a once noble House of Gallifrey. That was so long ago though. He looked down at this girl, young woman in his arms and couldn't help but smile. She had been glorious out there, so brave, strong and not afraid to stand up to him.

He lifted her up and settled them both down on the blankets he had in one corner of their cell, continuing to tenderly caress her hair and comfort her even as she thrashed and cried out during a nightmare. It's what this place did to one, make nightmares come alive. Eventually, he felt his own eyes drifting close. It had been an emotional day for him as well. He wasn't alone now and with that, came a responsibility for the young woman asleep in his arms. Sleep claimed him. He didn't normally dream but this night, he may have dreamed of the life he once had and his house sitting high on a hill overlooking a field of scarlet grass. In this dream, there was a familiar girl running across, her blonde hair free and whipping in the wind as she smiled at him, challenging him to chase her.

The next morning, he awakened alone amidst the blankets. A quiet scuffling noise mixed with the sound of water being poured caught his attention. He turned to find Rose awake, moving quietly and efficiently in his storage area. She was pulling containers out, opening them and sniffing gently, sometimes wrinkling her nose and shoving the container back where she found it. Eventually, she found what she was looking for, pulling dried leaves out and crinkling them in her hands, sniffing again, nodding her head before wrapping the crushed leaves in cloth and dropping them in two tin cups. She already had a pot over the fire boiling water.

He watched as she made the tea, taking her time between each step, pausing slightly as if contemplating each action or maybe it was that she was meditating over it. As she poured the boiling water into each tin cup and the steam wafted up, he could see that she was lost in her thoughts. Her face was blank but her eyes, her eyes told a different story. He could see her thoughts clearly reflected: What would happen next? What horror would she have to face? Could she really trust him? He couldn't blame her if she was pondering about the future and about him, wondering if he was someone she could rely on.

Rose had been through so much and yet there she was, foraging for tea. The act of making tea was something normal, something she could identify with even in the extraordinary circumstances she found herself. It was yet another sign to him that she was a survivor and that she would adapt and persevere no matter what. He left her to her thoughts, allowing her this quiet time to process and absorb the events of the prior day.

He lay amidst the rough and coarse blankets and allowed himself a moment to reflect. A day ago he was on his own and now he had this girl, this young woman, a lady raised not to fight in the Death Zone but to serve some other purpose, marry, produce offspring, add to the glory of Gallifrey he didn't doubt with a touch of sarcasm. Yet, he couldn't help but admire her. She hadn't fallen to pieces as most would have done. No, there was something inside of her, something strong and fierce. She was a survivor like him. No, that wasn't true. No one was like him. She was better than that.

Still, she was a bit of a mystery to him. Who was she really? Where and when had she come from and who had done this to her and why? Did she know something or was it merely politics? What could be so horrible that they would toss her in here with him, him of all people? He looked over at her again assessing her. She was strong of character, smart, adapted easily to her surroundings, could face down a challenge even if she was a bit opinionated and stubborn. Maybe that was why she was here, she said the wrong thing to the wrong person? Politics, he thought to himself, if one thing hadn't changed since he was locked up here, that would be it. Based on what little she had revealed, it seemed things had only gotten worse since his time.

The Houses of Gallifrey had always had petty rivalries since the old days and even before then. There were wars, arguments, assassinations, petty bickering over everything from land to marriages to who invented what advancements in technology. He remembered these things well, too well. After all, he had been there at the beginning and that was the problem. It had been clear to him what was coming and he had tried to stop it. And therein lay the cause of his ultimate fate.

Memories he tried to tuck away into the back of his mind made their way forward. Now they were a vivid presence he couldn't ignore. He had once been a free man, a respected member of his house, one of the highest and most esteemed houses on Gallifrey at the time. His family claimed genetic superiority on many levels and were admired. Not, that he appreciated it. It was all a bit too much for him and his way of thinking. At first he was consumed with a desire to explore and learn. Later, after becoming more aware of his planet's domestic issues, he was focused on the actions of those around him, their morals and ethics and what was happening and why.

He could see the beginnings of corruption before it happened, the division of classes and worst of all, he saw what people were trying to hide, the power, the weapons and the subtle influencing to destroy others. Oh he tried to stop it, shouting, lecturing, talking and rambling to everyone he could think of who might have a chance of standing by him and stopping it. He went from House to House attempting to rally support whilst even his own family refused to believe him. His efforts never yielded the support necessary to stop those who were determined to wrest control of everything but it did get their attention.

War was coming and this was a war he was prepared to fight and not because he was a great warrior or felt a calling to bear arms or felt aggressive tendencies. No, this was about saving lives. Unfortunately, this was not a typical war that most humanoids would comprehend. It was far more deadly. Gallifrey was unlike any other planet in the universe. It was immersed in time and minerals that resonated with raw time imbibing its inhabitants with abilities to manipulate temporal energy. It made them advanced far beyond other species. Of course, these advances didn't necessarily happen naturally or organically. Some were manipulated by those who believed themselves oh so clever and who felt righteous in their actions to make their species better. The ability to wield time with control and precise calculation was a desired trait.

This power was seductive and drove their egos to seek out more, to continue tinkering and enhancing their people's natural talents, making them greater than any other species in the universe. It corrupted their purpose and made them greedy. They looked at their own species like surgeons, prepared to cut out any necrotic flesh and disposing of anything they found undesirable such as anyone who thought different from the course those in control had set for the people of Gallifrey.

There were weapons created but not the weapons of primitive species. They were too clever for that. It was time and people and organic matter they used. Their people were the most devastating weapon in the universe and no one would or could stop them except one. The Doctor. He stood firm. He refused to look the other way and just fall into step. He saw the subtle seduction of his people with promises of technological advances. It was clear where this was headed, the manipulation of genetics, the political structure, the exile of any they found inferior like the old sisterhood.

No one saw the war on Gallifrey. Not even most of the inhabitants. It was quiet and subtle. How could one notice when a person or an entire family was wiped from existence, unmade as if they were never born? It was a precise tactical move, employing manipulation of time to erase someone's past and thus their existence. A few people began to sense something wrong, subtle fluctuations in time. By the time they realized the Doctor had been right to shout and demand they listen, it was too late. Damage had been done.

"Doctor?" Rose asked softly, a cup of tea in her hand.

It shook him out of his thoughts and he turned to her. "Thanks," he said brusquely as he hopped out of bed and took the tea from her sipping it and nodding with approval. He walked over to the bigger on the inside bag he'd used in the Death Zone and began unpacking it. Rose stood off to the side as he laid out a leather tarp and spread out several carcasses of something that looked like sabre toothed rabbits on it and began butchering them. She turned away. She'd had all the blood she could take the prior day.

"You okay over there?" he asked as he worked.

"Yeah, fine. Nothing like a stroll in the Death Zone and watching the man of the house butcher small animals to calm ones nerves," she responded with sarcasm. He grunted at her and she rolled her eyes as she stared into her tea cup. "Thanks," she finally said.

"For what?" he asked as he worked.

"Getting me through it alive and being there for me last night."

The Doctor thought it best to let it go, not talk about it. She'd been through enough. He shrugged and pointed to some flayed flesh to the side. "Breakfast is on you this morning."

She wrinkled her nose but went to work. Later, as they sat and ate in silence, he thought Rose had enough time to think about her situation. It was time to shake her out of feeling sorry for herself and lay down some rules. "Next time I give you an order, I expect you to listen and do it, no questions asked. You could've gotten us both killed yesterday."

Rose stiffened. "You mean when I saved your arse from that giant arthropod thing," she retorted.

"Exactly. It was foolish. You should have left me. The Death Zone is all about survival of the fittest. Right now, that's not you. You need to learn to trust me so when I tell you to move, you move, no arguments."

"And you need to learn to trust me, so that I can help keep both of us safe. And I'll listen to you if I think you're making sense. That made no sense and you would've died! Then where would I have been?" she shouted, stood up and took her plate and cup over to a waste area to clean them, her back turned to him.

He sighed. He had forgotten how volatile and temperamental Gallifreyan females could be. "Rose, this isn't me playing the arrogant head of house. I've probably lived here for half your life. I know how to avoid the bad things, to hunt, forage and survive. You don't, not yet. I need to know I can count on you to do what I tell you."

She whipped around still not happy with him. "What you tell me!" She almost growled at that.

"Well, I need to know that I can count on you too. Right now, I think you're so busy trying to protect me, you risked your own neck. That doesn't do either of us any good. I get that you didn't know if I would be any good but you saw me out there. I may not be the best, but I can think on my feet. I'm not some daft girl who's gonna stand there and scream for you to rescue me. I got a brain and skills."

He stared at her in silence for a moment. "All right, let's see it then. Go on Rose Tyler, show me these skills," he taunted, arms crossed as he leaned back in his chair.

Rose looked at him sitting there looking at her arrogantly, dressed in his scuffed up leather trousers and sleeveless chest plate, his blue eyes challenging her. She strode over to him and cocked a hip out. "What do you wanna see?" she asked with a slight bit of innuendo that did not escape him.

It was hard for him not to smile. She was a bit tempting all cocky and bound up in her corset and tight breeches, the swell of her breasts just teasing him a bit. In fact, he was thinking her breeches weren't the only things tight at the moment. He decided to play this out.

"So, you think you got what it takes to make it out there. All right then. Impress me."

Rose proceeded to show him her skills in identifying the various plants she'd collected, including some things he hadn't asked her to pick up and didn't know about. She then showed him she could make fire with some of the flint and kindling he had. He had to admit, she had more basic knowledge than he gave her credit for but it still wasn't enough. He questioned her about several poisonous species out there which she had little knowledge of other than a few insects and lizards. Finally, he decided to test her combat skills. She could wield a table leg well enough but her knife handling was horrible. The most important thing was her hand to hand combat skills and that's what he insisted be tested next…by him.

"That's hardly fair, you're taller and stronger than me," Rose had pointed out.

"Exactly. Whadda ya think's going to happen out there? Most of what will come after you is bigger and stronger than you. Doesn't mean you don't have a fighting chance, but it just proves my point. You're not ready."

Rose didn't like to admit defeat and she tilted her chin up. "I'm not useless."

He smirked and looked her up and down, his eyes lingering on her hips longer than they should. It wasn't like he could help it. It'd been years since he'd been near a female much less one as curvy with such a smart mouth like her. He always had liked a female who could think for herself and wasn't afraid to speak her mind.

His assessment made her angry. "Stop ogling me and attack already!" she shouted, her fists clenched at her side.

"Me ogle some little bit like you? Don't be stupid," he retorted as he casually circled her and at the last minute attacked her from the side. She was quicker than he thought and shifted away. He stumbled but didn't fall.

"Need to be faster than that, old man," she taunted.

That did it. "All right Rose Tyler, you asked for it."

There were no more games. He was in full out prowl and hunt mode. His body was lithe and his movements elegant. Rose was impressed and maybe a little distracted. He was gorgeous, like a great cat about to pounce the way he circled her, his eyes focused steadily on her, calculating and analysing her for his next move. When he did move, it was faster than she could see and she felt him before she saw him.

He kicked at her legs, throwing her balance and grabbed her arm. That's when the Mother Rev's voice sounded in her head. _Trust your instincts_. Rose did just that whilst employing another lesson she had learned about not just relying on one sense like sight. She listened and felt a rush of air from his movements and twisted herself around and wrapped one of her legs around his to throw his own balance off. The two of them twisted around each other and fell to the hard ground of the cell, struggling.

Rose tried to knee him but he shifted over muttering under his breath about vicious Gallifreyan she wolves. He had her arm and try as she might she couldn't quite get him to budge. Just as she tried to reach over and poke him in a nerve cluster she knew would radiate pain through his shoulder he lifted her up and tossed her down hard enough she lost her breath and he was on top of her holding her arms down.

She scowled at him as he looked down at her, his solid, well-muscled body plastered over hers pinning her hips down. He grinned then. "Not bad. Not good enough but could be worse."

"Get off of me!" she demanded, struggling against him and feeling every leather clad muscle holding her down and the heat radiating off his skin as her body rubbed against his. He didn't move.

"Maybe you'd like to make me," he said, his voice deepening slightly as he enjoyed the spit fire wiggling beneath him. He'd move if she really asked him nicely and admitted he was right.

She glared, furious that he'd bested her. His blue eyes were satisfied and he acted as if it was nothing for him to hold her down like this. An idea formed in her mind, a dangerous but satisfying idea.

"Fine," she said and shimmied a leg from under his and wrapped it around his hip in a very unwarrior like way and arched up into him. His expression changed and darkened.

She ran her boot clad foot up and down his leg and licked her lips. "You sure you don't wanna let me up?" she asked, lifting her head up slightly and looking into his eyes with a hint of promise.

Suddenly, dominating her and being flesh to flesh with her like this didn't seem like such a brilliant plan. In fact, it seemed distracting and reminded him that she wasn't just some girl tossed in her but was a flesh and blood woman and a desirable one to boot. That slight loss of focus and relaxing his hold on her was all she needed to roll him over and sit astride him.

At first she was grinning in triumph until she realized where she was settled and how she was riding him like a horse only he was the farthest thing from a horse and might've been enjoying it a bit too much. His gaze was hot, his breathing increasing and Rose felt just how much he was enjoying this against her bum.

Two guards were leering at them through the barred door and chuckling as they drank from a flask making bets on sexual prowess of the two of them. Rose blushed before she jump up off of him and walking away. "Fine, you win on the fighting stuff…for now," she admitted whilst busying herself with organizing things that didn't need it and trying to ignore the two guards who kept up a running commentary on how it wouldn't be long and wondering if she'd be a screamer

He lay on the floor breathing deeply and watching her and turned and scowled at the guards who quickly disbursed, not liking the way he looked at them. It wasn't like he didn't have a reputation for being a violent and now he had someone to protect. After they'd fled he turned back to Rose. That had been a little to close to what their captors wanted. He wasn't about to give them that kind of show.

After that, it was a series of days where they danced around each other, each revealing a bit more to the other. She finally told him her House name which he didn't recognize. It concerned him that there was a new House in existence when for centuries it had been the same twenty but he didn't tell her that. He didn't tell her that it was yet another sign that the past had been manipulated. She also revealed that she had been taught by a secret sect of the Sisterhood hiding away in the mountains. That perked his interest. How was it the sisterhood had survived when some of the great houses had not?

He told her a bit more of his time there in the prison, of how at first the guards taunted him and attacked him en masse but soon learned he wasn't one to tussle with after he left them a few wounds they would not soon forget; how he learned his way around the Death Zone, what lived out there, about how to forage for food and water and how he mapped out the area as best he could. Every time she asked how he was captured or for more information about his past, he changed the subject. He wasn't ready to talk about that yet.

He taught her about how to survive, how to use a knife, about what lived in the Death Zone, how to preserve food, make dodgy water safe to drink and how to make do with bare minimum resources. Rose was a good student and in return taught him a few skills about the medicinal plants and provided a bit of history based on what she knew during her time. It wasn't always easy. Sometimes, he would take her to watch the battles, to teach her how to fight, how to defend and stay alive. She would flinch but never complained. They both learned she was a rubbish hunter but she was the best finding bits and pieces of weapons or tools that would be useful. She even found an old leather bound book of Chula poetry lost in the battlefield by some poor soul.

She was amazed when he picked it up and read to her from it, proving his skills at languages. Rose begged him to begin teaching her how to understand and speak the languages of the various species they encountered out in the Death Zone which he agreed to with a smile. Teaching her languages was like a game between them and lightened the mood. Their nights were mainly spent making meals, preparing for the next day, assembling tools, sewing clothing, sharpening knives, talking about the past and what they needed next to survive. It became routine and this worried Rose. She needed to focus on escaping and each day, that possibility seemed slimmer. He noticed as she grew quiet and contemplative but said nothing.

They slept together. Not at first, of course. Rose was too wary but after one particularly cold night, and a stern _don't be stupid_ , she curled up with him. He never tried to take advantage, even when she found herself cuddling up to him or nestling her face on his shoulder. He teased her about drooling and they would banter about bad habits each accused the other but both denied. Slowly, she learned that he could be trusted and that he had a certain amount of honour and ethics which were not dissimilar from her own.

After a while it seemed inevitable that the tentative peace established between them and growing trust would be tested. It was during one of their trips into the Death Zone that things took an unexpected and horrifying turn. They had finished a day foraging, both with bags on their shoulders filled with supplies and items found as they foraged. They were crossing the battlefield. It was late and darkness was creeping up on them in the odd and eerie way that it did in the Death Zone. They were attacked by a group of three blue skinned Crespallions, with markings on their face which the Doctor whispered meant they were warrior cast. Rose backed up a couple steps as they raced at them screaming. Crespallions were humanoids, tall and muscular like the Doctor only a bit taller. Normally, they were a peaceful race but these, dressed in beat up leather armour looked mad and blood thirsty, especially caring axes and short swords.

"Doctor, they're not gonna talk are they?" Rose asked, her eyes not leaving the oncoming horde of blue skinned creatures.

"No," he answered without looking at her, standing tall and still.

"Run?" she asked.

"Won't make it."

"Weapons?" she asked

"Shield to your left. Silurian spear behind you. Don't take your eyes off of 'em. Stay out of the shadows and if I say run, you run," he said in a quiet deadly voice.

"Got it," she replied softly, dropping her bag and kneeling to pick up the shield and reach behind her amongst the debris and bones of the battlefield for the spear. She grasped it just as they were on them.

She barely saw the Doctor as she held up the shield to bloke blow after blow of a sword. They were so strong that a few blows had her stumbling and falling to the ground. She used that to her advantage with the warrior who seemed to think he had her. She used the spear as a club and smacked him across his legs which left him howling and stumbling. She jumped up and bashed him with her shield a few times. He dropped his sword but it wasn't enough. He was too strong and much bigger than her. He could crush her throat with one of his hands. She knew what had to be done. Everything in her rebelled but the Doctor and told her the truth, it was survival of the fittest. With only slight hesitation and as the Crespallion ran at her she whipped her spear around and plunged it into his chest.

The sound made her sick as a purplish blood oozed out and he cried out swinging around with the spear protruding from his chest. She raced up and grabbed the end of the spear and noticed the shadow creatures slowly sliding across the ground toward them. She shoved the Crespallion toward one and watched it envelop him in darkness.

When she turned, she could see the Doctor fighting off the other two, one of which was bleeding and, his arm hanging loosely at his side. She had to help him. She madly searched the ground until she found a Gallifreyan Star Glaive, it's three curved blades intact. She'd never used one but read about it in the legends. It was hurled at one's opponent and once imbedded could not be easily removed. It was said in the old days, it reacted to telepathic commands. She heard the Doctor cry out. He was injured.

"No!" she whispered and stood up holding the weapon. The light was dimming and she couldn't see well but it looked like blood on his chest, oozing from behind his leather breastplate. Without another thought, she held up the Star Glaive with one thought on her mind: Please hit the Crespallion, stop him from hurting my Doctor. She then hurled it through the air toward him. It made a whirring noise and the Crespallion turned just as it hit him in the chest. He fell to the ground just as the Doctor finished off his companion with several sword blows to the chest.

Rose ran over to him, breathing hard as he dropped his sword, his face twisted in pain. "What was that?" he yelled, looking down the blood oozing out of his wound and Rose noticed he was favouring his right leg as well. "Told you not to pick up a weapon less you know how to use it," he continued to chastise.

"Lecture later. You're hurt," she said, her voice shaking.

"It's nothing. Get the sack, we have to get back before it's too late," he said wincing.

Rose didn't want to but did as he asked rather than waste more time arguing with him. He picked up his own bag and they stumbled across the field. The light was ebbing and the shadows stretched out over the ground.

"We're not gonna make it," she said, fear lacing her voice.

"We will," he said, his voice sounding a bit slurred as he stumbled into her. He fell, his face twisted in pain and then he looked at her. "Rose, go."

"Not gonna leave you," she said, determined but frightened as she heard bone crunching and slurping noises coming from the shadow creatures.

"Shut it," he groused. "Go, that's an order."

"Sorry, not happening," she answered and hauled him up and shoved him forward.

"Stupid woman. We'll both die," he said, his face paling and his eyes squinted tightly shut.

"Not today. Not here," was her only response.

There was no way they could climb the ridge in his condition. That meant they would be spending the night out there, in the death zone with things that wanted nothing more than to eat them. She reached that conclusion as the light finally faded and the moons began to rise. She dragged him forward. He screamed once as one of his feet touched a shadow creature.

"No!" Rose screamed. "You can't have 'im!" She yanked the Doctor away with strength she didn't know she had and pulled him into the moonlight. The creature recoiled.

"Don't like the light do ya?" she shouted. "Good cause that's where we'll be." She trudged forward, keeping in the moonlight with the Doctor leaning heavily on her, sweating, his skin hot and feverish. Rose worried he'd been poisoned and knew before long he wouldn't be stumbling along but would collapse. She kept moving forward past the ridges and straight toward they were almost out of the battlefield toward a more barren landscape. He collapsed just as they made it out of the land littered with bodies, blood and horrors in the shadows. Rose grabbed his pack and threw it over her shoulder and then hefted him up under his shoulders and dragged him further away until the landscape dropped off into what was once a stream bed.

Skittering and chirping noises whispered around her as a breeze blew tumbleweed like plants by them. Clouds drifted over the twin moons and darkness enveloped them. Rose felt terror creeping over her at the thought of what the darkness would bring. She laid him out in the stream bed against a high bank and started a fire with some of the wood they had collected and a few of the tumbleweeds that were near them. There wasn't much else to burn other than some small green plants and it was too dark for her to see what they were so she didn't know if it was safe to burn them. The last thing they needed was to be poisoned by burning some dangerous plant.

She could hear things in the darkness. There were eerie howls and screeches and she swore something sweep over their heads. She kept the fire burning, trying to keep an eye on her surroundings whilst tending to the Doctor. She scooted around him with the two packs, her back to the high sandy bank and so she could tend to his wounds and still keep an eye out. She pulled his long knife out keeping it handy along with a handheld device that when activated turned into a long metal staff. Judging by the sounds, she needed to be prepared.

Once she felt she could defend them, Rose turned to the Doctor. He had been slashed across his chest, slicing straight through the black leather breast plate he wore. It wasn't bleeding anymore. She peeled it away and he moaned.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, leaning over to kiss his forehead, noting he was burning up. She quickly examined his wound, not finding it very serious. She cleaned it out with some water and pulled out a few medicinal plants she gathered. It wasn't much but she crushed up some of the leaves and spread them over the wound. She covered him with her coat and shifted down to his leg and foot. There was no way his fever was caused by the chest wound. It wasn't that deep and didn't look to be infected. That left one possibility and it scared her to think about it.

She ran her hand down his leather clad leg but didn't feel anything broken. She concluded he must of pulled a muscle. Next she, slid down to his foot that had been attacked by one of the shadow creatures. The light was bad but she could that part of it looked burned away and his pale foot exposed. It had a red welt on it and a puncture wound in the middle that looked horrible, infected and oozing.

Rose gasped. "No. This is bad. This is really really bad." She didn't know what the shadow creatures were and he'd never discussed it with her. In fact, she hadn't wanted to bring up the terrifying creatures. All she knew was when men fell into them or were attacked they screamed horribly and then were silenced followed by horrible noises like something from a nightmare. Rose felt sick and angry at herself. Why hadn't she pushed him? Now he'd been bitten by some unknown creature and she didn't even know where to begin with a treatment.

He began to thrash and call out, sweat beading his brow. She had to do something. A noise caught her attention and she looked up in time to see two glowing red eyes which leapt over the fire. She grabbed the metal pole and the animal, a horned desert dragon, impaled itself on it. It was heavy and she dropped it on the other side of the Doctor, the pole whipped out of her hand. She could almost hear the Doctor's sarcastic voice in her head. "Fantastic, just bloody fantastic. Told ya, to leave me, that this would kill both of us. Now we're both stuck in this nightmare. So what are you gonna do, Rose Tyler? Sit there and wallow and whinge? Or finish it off and stay alive."

"We're both gonna live you arrogant git!" she muttered, grabbed the knife and finished the dragon off. It was almost as long as she was tall and she knew the blood would draw in predators. She looked back at the Doctor thrashing and felt panic. Back in that battlefield she'd made a decision to not leave him and to save both of them and that's what she was going to do. She felt a burst of adrenalin and cut up the dragon, tossing pieces of it as far as she could into the desert to keep the predators away and burying the blood soaked sand. She kept some of the meat and pulled out a metal container he had and poured water over the meat and set it in the fire with some of her medicinal herbs she knew were good for fevers and infections.

Rose was no healer but she'd studied enough with the Reverend Mum to know that broth was a good way to get medicine in him. She also knew one other rather unpleasant fact, horned desert dragons were often mentioned in many of the old myths and fables as healers. That had to come from somewhere and she knew from the Doctor that you could eat them without becoming ill. She just hoped that the broth she was making could help him.

She turned back to him and stared at the wound on his foot which was swelling now. Her eyes teared up as thought about what to do. She tried to focus on what she'd learned from the Reverend Mum as she kept an eyes on the animals now fighting over the remains of the lizard's carcass she'd tossed in the desert. The clouds cleared and shined moonlight down on her camp and that's when she saw the beetles heading for the Doctor's leg. She was about to stomp on them in horror when something clicked in the back of her mind, an old story.

Rose picked up one of the insects and looked at it and then her suffering Doctor. There was no choice. It was like he said, survival of the fittest and she was determined that was her and him. With that in mind, she set herself to work. She had to get the poison out of him and find a cure. There was no choice, it was on her now and she wasn't going to lose him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor is suffering as a result of the poison injected into him from the shadow creature attack. Both Rose and the Doctor reach an epiphany about how they feel about each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big hugs to whoinwhoville and littlewhomouse who read this over for me and helped me to make it better. Also, whoinwhoville came up with the name genius name Chronoweaver :)

_Rose picked up one of the insects and looked at it and then her suffering Doctor. There was no choice. It was like he said, survival of the fittest and she was determined that was her and him. With that in mind, she set herself to work. She had to get the poison out of him and find a cure. There was no choice, it was on her now and she wasn't going to lose him._

The Death Zone was filled with not only nonstop danger and a multitude of things that would kill you but it also contained things that could help and heal. One merely needed to know how to use them. Rose had some of that knowledge. Of course, that which could heal may not do so in a pleasant way. Sometimes the cure could be as gruesome as that which harmed you. The little beetles in Rose's hands were one such example.

They were attracted to infected or dying flesh. Rose shuttered as she thought about what she had to do. She trembled and looked at her fevered and ill Doctor and down to his swollen, red and contused foot which was showing signs of whatever poison the shadow creatures had injected into him. There was no other choice. She had to stop the infection and poison, clear out the damaged tissue and bring down his fever.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and kissed his burning cheek as he moaned and his arm struck out at her. The sounds of the wildlife in the desert, the growling and howling reminded her she had do this quickly and stay alert. There was no rest and no time to weep over his pain. She set the beetles to their work and climbed on top of him to hold him down. His suffering was horrifying. Rose had never heard anyone scream like he did. Tears fell down her face as she fought to hold his thrashing body down. Ill or not, he was still strong and in the morning she would be bruised and sore from fighting with him. When the beetles had finished and the last of the damage was cleared away, she crawled off of him and created a poultice in an attempt to draw out any remaining poison

That wasn't the end of it though. There was still poison in his blood and it was wreaking havoc on his body. She tried to keep him covered with her coat and pressed a damp cloth to his head and murmured soothing things to him. His screams turned into words and phrases as if he was living out some nightmare. She tried to feed him some of the herbal soup but he spit most of it out. Fear for his life was very real and with that fear came a certain realization. She cared for him and not just as a guide and partner in the Death Zone. There was a very real emotional bond growing between them and she wasn't ready to lose that. She was going to fight for him no matter what it took.

As he shouted out "No! It won't work! Please let me help! Don't do this!" She whispered words of comfort in his ear, promising him she was here and not going to leave him.

"Doctor? Can you hear me? It's Rose and I'm here." She squeezed his hand. "I'm right here and I'm gonna help you to get well," she said in a shaky emotional voice. "But I need you to fight. Please Doctor, don't leave me."

The Doctor was mired in darkness and a deep unrelenting heat, a fire that he couldn't escape. He struggled against it but couldn't seem to get away. His mind was fuzzy and he was trying to focus in how he'd come to be here, wherever here was, and wondered where Rose was. Voices echoed in his mind, a mixture of shouting, pleading, angry, worried and some tinged with despair. A searing light enveloped him and as it dimmed he found himself in his home, House Tardis, before Gallifrey had fallen.

House Tardis was one of the oldest existing structures on Gallifrey. It was built of a particular Gallifreyan stone that some said hummed as if it was resonating with an unseen energy or life. Others claimed this wasn't true, just a fairy tale. In House Tardis, this story was recounted to all the children of the House warning them not do mischief or the House would tell the elders. Other than as described in such fanciful tales, it was a classical yellow and beige veined stone structure built against the side of a mountain. It had domed ceilings, massive columns and was a maze of rooms within. Anyone not of the House would be lost for hours without a guide. A few people may have teased it was impossible and bigger on the inside. For the Doctor, it was just home.

The Doctor's mind was spinning and his vision blurred as he tried to comprehend how he could be in his home when he knew it was gone. Pain thrummed in his leg and he shudderd as he felt a wave of heat burn through him. He heard Rose whisper his name and squinted looking around for her. Instead, he saw ghostly images of his family rushing to and fro in the large domed atrium, family he had not seen in…. too long. Tears welled up as one of his young cousins, an imp of a boy named Belaynovastocksid ran by him grinning as his younger cousin chased him. He even swore he could smell the spicy scent of freshly baked Gallifreyan sweet breads.

He walked forward and stumbled, feeling a pain in his foot. He looked down to find himself not in the finery of his House but, leather trousers and leather top, one boot on and one boot off with a swollen and bleeding foot. Pain wracked his body and he fell to his knees onto the cool stone floor and felt the room warp around him as he focused on just trying to breathe.

For a moment everything went dark and he was consumed by a burning feeling. He could feel sweat beading on his skin and swore he could smell Rose nearby but when he opened his eyes, squinting to focus, he was back in his home. He saw Lady Constance, his great aunt, sweep into the room her flowing blue robes whispering against the floor, followed by her brother, Lord Borosi and his wife, Lady Voxtiladin. They were speaking in hushed tones.

"He's nothing but a trouble maker, a rebel an embarrassment to us all!" Lord Borosi complained, his flushed round face set in a sneer.

"Yes, but in this latest matter, he speaks the truth and now it is no longer just rebellious ranting. Others have seen and felt things, things that should concern all of us," Lady Constance confided in soft tones, her grey eyes mirroring her concern.

"But how can you be certain?" Borosi admonished. "He rushes about shouting nonsense about conspiracies and what of our honour and position? He'll destroy us with his allegations against noble and esteemed Houses. We must separate ourselves from his delusions and defiant attitudes. There are those in the Council who are not amused by his rabble rousing and may go so far as to blame us for not silencing him. I will not stand by and watch this great and respected House fall because of some renegade!"

The Doctor flinched, feeling an intense nausea as his ears began to ring. Everything went out of focus and pain racked his body. When he opened his eyes, he observed frightening shadows slithering toward this family. "No," he gasped. He gritted his teeth and struggled up, rivulets of sweat trickling down his hot skin as he listened to them argue about what to do. "It won't work! They're betrayers! They won't listen!" He shouted at his family. The images of his family faded and rippled before the scene continued.

"Others have felt things, heard things, things none of us wish to believe," Lady Voxtiladin said in soft tones, her once proud shoulders slumped as she almost disappeared in the light grey folds of her long robes. "One rebellious lord we can dismiss but how many other respected lords and ladies must experience these frightening reverberations before giving them credence."

"What things?" Lords Borosi demanded and began pacing, his elaborate scarlet robes flaring about him. He turned to the two women. "We put ourselves in jeopardy by giving any credit to his madness! House Tardis is respected and one of the high old Houses. I'm not going to sacrifice my position for wild and unreliable speculation by one who constantly flaunts our traditions and who has no regard for family or position," he announced with pompous indignation. "I will go the council and settle this once and for all."

Lady Constance shook her head sadly. "It is already too late for that, brother. The elders of our house have seen what is coming for us. They have already prepared, retrieved the Chronoweaver"

A storm darkened the sky casting shadows over his family, consuming them into the darkness as lightning flashed down nearby. The Doctor, shaking and struggling to stand up shouted, "No! We can still stop them before it's too late!" He winced and panted as he felt a wave of excruciating agony shoot through him causing him to fall back down onto the stone floor gasping and crying _no_ over and over again.

An elderly looking white bearded man he didn't recognize limped over to him out of the shadows dressed in white and grey robes. "You're in bad shape aren't you? Look at you still shouting at the world but they can't hear you."

"Doctor," Rose's soft voice echoed around him.

His eyes darted around. "Rose!" he shouted with a slight desperation lacing his voice. Then he looked back at the elderly man. "Who are you? Where's Rose?" the Doctor demanded, sweat beading his skin as he winced again in pain, a thunderous roar that reminded him of something out of the Death Zone caught his attention before he focused on the old man again.

The white haired man, his light blue eyes reflecting some ancient knowledge shook his head. "That doesn't matter right now. What does matter is that you remember what happened next."

There was a flash of light and the Doctor watched events unfold as they had oh so many years ago. He watched as his family argued and bickered.

"Time is being manipulated around us, all of us. Already there are those who worry…" His great grandfather, a tall stoic grey haired man, announced to a room filled with the elders of his House.

The Doctor listened to murmuring as pain shot through him again and he stiffened, his head banging into the floor as his teeth gritted against the sharp burning feeling. When the torturous sensation ebbed he looked blearily over at his family and swore he saw a desert dragon prowling around amongst them as they huddled in discussion. He shook his head, the animal faded away and he watched as events unfolded.

"It is said someone is re-writing our past, unmaking some of us and altering the balance of power. Even now, I feel the timelines wrap around us in such a way that will destroy us, our family, utterly and forever," his great grandfather continued.

The Doctor knew what was coming and despite the burning pain wracking his body, he tried to shout, to get their attention, to tell them they could still stop this if they pulled together, if they just acted, but all of his efforts were useless. They didn't hear him and he was forced to watch as everything unravelled.

Some of his family shouted and declared nothing was wrong, it couldn't be. They thought they were too powerful. Others blamed him but a few just looked defeated. They knew they were lost. The room echoed with their disagreement and discontent.

The Doctor tried moving again but fell back to the floor screaming as a burning sensation seared him to his core. His breath came in heavy gasps as he swore flames were flickering around him. The elderly man appeared next to him again.

"You can't turn away from it you know. You can't run either. You think this is suffering?" He snorted. "It's nothing compared to what befell this once great house."

"No, I can't watch this happen, not again!" he screamed.

"Doctor," Rose's voice whispered as if she were nearby.

"Rose? Rose, where are you?" he moaned, his hands flailing blindly out as he tried to find her. He winced again and squeezed his eyes tight. It felt like something heavy was pressing across his chest. He felt stifled and just wanted to get free of the pain.

When he opened his eyes he was standing in a different part of the house, observing as the Elders forcibly shoved younger him into a room deep within the heart of the House, a shielded zero chamber that time could not touch and which contained the ancient legendary Chronoweaver, his family's most sacred relic from the ancient times. He felt sick, filled with regret and anguish as he watched his family seal other him in as that him screamed at them to let him fight with them. He remembered this day all too well, how he shouted and cursed at his family that he could still do something, anything to stop what was coming other than use the Chronoweaver, that there had to be another way. The elders sadly had closed their eyes murmuring that _it was done_.

The Doctor felt panic and a consuming misery as he knew what happened next after they left him in that room. He couldn't bear to relive that. He stumbled over to his great grandfather and called out, "No, Please don't make me do this again! There has to be another way!"

"Doctor!" Rose's voice echoed louder. The burning sensation flared through him and jerked him awake from his nightmare.

"Doctor, can you hear me?" Rose asked, laying on top of him and trying to hold down his flailing limbs. "Please, you have to calm down and I need you to drink this broth. Please!" she begged. She had been listening to him shout, scream and babble things that made no sense to her other than _No, Please don't, Don't trust them_ as well as calling out for her _._ She didn't know what nightmares or hallucinations plagued him but she had to calm him down. His eyes were open and glassy but he wasn't seeing her.

"Doctor, I need you to drink this! You've been poisoned and you need medicine!" she shouted as she pinned one of his arms down.

"Rose," he called out.

"I'm here," she said softly. "Doctor, please help me with this. Please drink."

She was able to get him to take a few swallows before he started trembling and struggling more. Rose was terrified. She'd gladly face one of the giant scorpion arthropod creatures rather than watch him suffer like this. She said a silent prayer to the Reverend Mum asking for guidance and help. He stilled and that scared Rose more than anything. He just stared upward and tears coursed down his sweat slicked face. He began mumbling again.

The Doctor realized something was wrong with him. His mind was fuzzy, his limbs heavy and there was a never ending agony everywhere. He could see Rose but everything was strange, dark and tainted by flickering lights. He closed his eyes and when he opened them he was back on Gallifrey. This time he was seeing what happened after they locked him in that cursed room, except this him was observing his family.

Lady Constance was facing his great grandfather. "He is our last hope. Will he be strong enough?"

"He is the only one who can do this," his great grandfather said in a sad voice. "I have seen it. He will use the chronoweaver, he will fall and then rise up stronger. We will not live to see this. We will not live at all. All that we are is left to him, for him to save Gallifrey, our people and remember who we once were."

The Doctor felt the same horror he felt that day knowing how prophetic his great grandfather's words were.

The old man appeared next to him. "There was no other option and you know that, knew that then which is why you did what was necessary. Not many could have used the Chronoweaver. It was created from us, our line and could only be activated by a direct descendant if he who came first, the one who had the ability and heart of our family and who understood the burden of our talents."

The Doctor stared at him. "Who are you?" he demanded.

The old man smiled, a twinkle in his eyes and shifted away. "Oh no one really, just an echo." He paused as he limped away and turned to the Doctor. "Unless you succeed, then perhaps I'm a memory."

Before the Doctor could ask more there was a flash of white light and he fell to his knees. He was panting now, his body coated in sweat and dust. There was a sour taste in his mouth and he spit on the floor. When he looked up, he saw his family members running about in a panic. He didn't know how, but he knew what this was. They could feel it now, the rippling effects of what was coming for them, like currents pulling at their time lines before a great tsunami came to sweep them away, erase them from time. Their house, one of the oldest on Gallifrey was about to be destroyed utterly, lost in time and the only survivor would be him.

Visions flashed in his fevered mind. Some of his family fighting an unseen force, trying to stop time from erasing them, attempting to provide him with time to use the Chronoweaver but time was a luxury they did not have and it was being wielded against them.

A pain sliced through his head and he found himself lying on the ground trembling. More images haunted him. He watched as some members of his house went to the Gallifreyan Council to beg for mercy, some fell to their knees and pleaded that they be changed, separated from the house that was about to be punished and destroyed. Others stood tall and proud refusing to submit or beg, saying they would rather be destroyed than fall into line with this corrupt force. He could see it in their eyes. They didn't want to be there to see what Gallifrey would become. Their wish was granted.

It didn't end there. He felt weak and fading but the images continued to flash before him rapidly. More of his family fled to other Houses. They tried to tell the others what was coming. At first, no one believed them; until those in the other Houses felt the temporal eddy as it washed across Gallifrey. They watched as his family literally disappeared. They felt the time lines tugging at them and their memories, feeling their memories fade and struggling against it in fear and horror, knowing that what they had been told was the truth. Memories could be altered, erased and changed but what was left behind was a feeling that something was wrong, something that would become a myth and legend in the backs of their mind. This became a story passed down generation after generation and thus was born the legend of the traveling house, the wandering House of Tardis. It had many names and with it was always a moral and warning, a caution of madness and what happened when one turned against ones people.

A calm and cool blackness enveloped the Doctor. The torture and heartache of watching his family suffer at the hands of those immoral and power hungry lords and ladies faded into the recesses of his mind. Soon all he heard was Rose singing to him, felt her soft lips brushing his fevered head as she promised he would be safe and she would never leave him. Exhaustion claimed him.

Rose had watched as he thrashed, shouted, burned with fever and suffered as she tried to help him. Eventually, after forcing medicinal broth in him followed by water and rubbing herb filled poultices on his wounds and across his fevered brow, he began to calm. She was grateful she hadn't had to face off against any other wildlife whilst focused on healing him. Now dawn approached and with it, new challenges. She had no idea how safe they would be there and then there was the unbearable heat they would face as the twin suns rose over the desert. Exhaustion hovered over her and her worry doubled as she didn't know if she would be able to move him to a safer location. Her stomach growled reminding her she hadn't eaten since the prior morning.

Rose knew she had to prioritize. First things first, food and hydration. She had to keep her strength up or she would be useless to him. She grabbed some of the leftover horned desert dragon meat which she had cooked into his broth. She gulped down some water and took a moment to contemplate her next move. She looked out across the sea of sand but there was no movement. In fact, all she saw was a few scattered bones and some blood stained sand where her unpleasant nightly visitors had fought each other. The Doctor moaned and shifted.

Rose crawled over to him and placed her hand on his damp brow. It was much cooler now. She breathed a little sigh of relief and tended to the cuts on his chest and his foot wound. She tore strips of cloth off the lining of her coat to make fresh bandages. As she was about to bind his foot he called out to her.

She looked up to find piercing blue eyes focused on her. "Doctor," she said in relief and crawled up near his face and retrieved the water flask to press it to his dry lips. He sipped gratefully.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"You were attacked by one of those shadow things."

In that moment, he stiffened and stared at her in disbelief and a touch of horror.

"I think it bit or stung your foot. You were poisoned and were fevered all night. I think you'll be all right now. You're through the worst of it."

"All night!" he shouted. "What do you mean! We're in the Death Zone!"

"Calm down!" she admonished. "I you need to rest and heal so you're strong enough to move. You're a bit heavy, you know."

"A bit heavy!" He looked down at his foot and winced, falling back down to the ground. "You stayed with me at night in the Death Zone," he said in a furious tone. "Have you lost your mind? Do you understand how dangerous it is and how lucky we both are?"

Rose knew he wouldn't be happy and steeled herself. "I'm not daft and yeah, I know real well how dangerous it was but I wasn't gonna leave you to be eaten alive! And you can just stuff that arrogant overprotective attitude up your arse. I got you away from the battlefield, set up camp, kept us both safe and treated your wounds. All on my own, thank you very much, and you're still alive to whinge about it!"

The Doctor looked at her with a scowl on his face. To say he was unhappy was an understatement. She should have left him. Her stubbornness could have killed her. And yet, it didn't. He couldn't ignore that they were both still here and that the only reason he was alive was due to her. His emotions were at war within him as he wavered between pride and fear for what could have happened.

Rose sighed heavily. "Look, are you okay if I leave you for a bit? I should scout the area."

He made an effort to sit up, grunting in pain and feeling a bit light headed. "Where are we?"

Rose explained where she had dragged him and he nodded his head. Again, he couldn't help but being impressed about her resourcefulness and courage. He stubbornly still felt she should have left him and returned to safety but for someone who had been through all she had and who lacked his experience in the Death Zone, it was a testament to her strength and perseverance that they were both still there and generally in one piece.

"You didn't get any rest then?" he asked as he looked at the fire and the cup with broth in it. He lifted it up and sniffed. He turned to her. "Horned Desert Dragon?"

"Yeah, it was a bit exciting last night," she responded and then turned back to his foot, changed out the poultice and set to examining him. "You're healing fast. Is that normal for you?" she asked, amazed at the progress he was making.

"Superior biology," he answered. He looked at the blood covered metal pole she'd used to kill the lizard. "You killed a horned desert dragon all on your own," he said softly and shook his head in amazement. His Rose was fierce when she needed to be. He paused at that thought. When had she become _his_ Rose? Then he looked around. "Where's the rest of the carcass?"

She explained about his wounds and the desert animals sniffing around their camp and how she'd tossed the remains out to them. He nodded his head in thought and watched as she bound up his foot. "Rose," he said softly

She looked at him as soon as she'd finished. "Yeah?"

"Thank you."

She smiled at him for the first time since he'd awakened. He hadn't realized how important her smile had become to him. He felt himself respond to her and perhaps a bit of the hardened exterior he built around him softened. The situation was still dangerous. He could lecture her on survival and knowing when to cut your losses but he knew she wouldn't appreciate it. She'd made up her mind.

"The heat will become unbearable. We're gonna need to move. How's our water supply?" he asked, knowing he needed to keep her focused on something. Rose was wavering, fraying around the edges from a lack of sleep and stress. She inventoried everything as she repacked some of it in their packs and looked over at him as he propped himself up against the embankment.

"You were saying stuff last night," she said softly as she organized their camp. "You…you shouted at people to stop and listen to you, about betrayers and saving people."

The Doctor focused on the desert, scanning it and looking for danger. The suns were higher in the sky now and he could see a raptor flying in the distance. It was easier for him to focus on this, surviving the Death Zone than talk about things that happened long ago. "We should get moving soon," he said, ignoring her.

Rose shoved the packs aside and slid a knife into a holster on her boot and knelt by him. "Doctor," she said softly, worry reflected in her eyes.

He looked at her. "We need to focus on staying alive, not…not some fever induced hallucinations," he finished, swallowing hard and looking away from her.

Rose reached down and laced her fingers with his, squeezing his hand. "It'll be all right. We'll get you out of here but you're going to have to trust me and know that I can do this and one day, you're going to have to tell me about it."

He looked at her then, almost falling into her eyes. Part of him wanted to tell her, needing someone to absolve him or more than likely pass judgement. Another part of him just wanted to grab her hand and run from the past, lock it away in his mind. Gazing at her compassion and worry, he knew he wouldn't be able to run away from it any longer. She was still fighting for him even now. Then, a memory tickled at the back of his mind, of any old man with a limp and his words about remembering along with his great grandfather's prophecy that he would fall and rise again stronger. He focused on Rose and tamped into his abilities he had long since buried, not wanting to know the truth of what time would tell him.

What he saw, in her, around her and between both of them, made him shiver and gasp.

"Doctor, are you all right? Do I need to…"

"No," he answered fiercely. "I'm fine. In fact, better than fine, Rose Tyler. Told you, superior biology."

He pulled on her and leaned into her resting his forehead against hers. "I trust you," he said in a growling voice. "And when we get out of here, I intend to show you how much."

Rose had been surprised when he pulled her to him. His moods shifted with lightening speed. The way he looked at her now with his eyes darkening and a slight inflection in his voice promising much more than what he was proclaiming touched something inside of her. She felt herself responding to him in a primitive way. Logically, she tried to lecture herself that she was tired, overwrought from healing and protecting him from harm; and they had been living together under very stressful circumstances. What she felt was just an emotional response to her circumstances. Another voice deep inside of her disagreed. The emotions stirring within her were something else. From the first time they met, he had captured her attention, challenging her, letting her prove herself whilst he proved himself capable of being a partner to her. They were on equal footing. This was no stuffy lord focused on politics and power. He was strong, intelligent and passionate about what he believed in and…she wanted him.

"Will you now?" she finally answered, almost purring at him and leaned in closer her lips just brushing his. Just as they tasted one another, a snarling noise caught their attention. In unison they turned their heads to see snarling two headed Gallifreyan jackal, its brown fur standing up, both heads baring long fangs and it's dark brown eyes focused in on the Doctor and Rose.

"Figures," the Doctor groused as Rose reached for her dagger, a look of determination and annoyance on her face. She was not pleased at being interrupted.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!

The Doctor and Rose worked together and after a bit muscle, a few sharp weapons and some yelling at one another, the two headed jackal was no more. Rose was also done in by the whole thing and the Doctor was not much better off. Unfortunately, they were still in the Death Zone and rest was a luxury they didn't have.

"We can't stay here," the Doctor announced as they sat back staring at the carcass of the dead animal. "It's gonna draw in scavengers and the type of scavengers here don't care much if their meal is dead, or alive and kicking."

Rose turned to him, noting he was looking a bit pale. The wound on his chest was scabbed over and not of much concern but his foot was swollen and there wasn't much left of his boot. She wasn't in much better shape. Exhaustion was taking its toll and she was having to fight to not doze off.

"You have a place you want us to go?"

He looked at her. "We need to get back to the cell and get some rest. Neither of us is in good enough shape to be out here."

Rose rubbed her face. "Yeah, well we're here and by the look of you, you're not exactly in any shape to face off against anything in that battle field and we still have to climb up out of it and hike a ways to get back. Then, there's the little matter of our water supply. It needs to be replenished. I went through a bit of it making that broth and making poultices for your wounds."

The Doctor stared at her. Her hair was matted, she had dark circles under her eyes underscoring her exhaustion, and she was covered in sand and sweat. He knew they had water reserves in their cell but they needed more supplies if they were to have a few days of rest. He also knew he couldn't make it to the water source with her and then have the strength to get back to the safety of their cell. She was going to have to do this alone.

"We'll head to a spot I know is secure and then you'll have to go for water. You need to be quick about it though, no wandering off. You're tired and your reflexes are poor. You need rest," he announced curtly.

Rose didn't like being accused of weakness and her first reaction was to snap at him but the common sense part of her knew he was right. "What about you?" she asked, looking at his foot with concern. She bound it up the best she could but she was still worried about it getting dirty or infected again.

"I'll be fine. Just focus on what needs doing: you getting out of here, getting water and getting back."

Rose wasn't keen on this plan but didn't see an alternative. The suns were beating down on them and the heat of the desert would soon be overpowering. She hoisted her pack on her back and reached for his but he stopped her. As she was about to protest, he stood up and hefted it up on his back, wobbling only slightly and proving he was stronger than he looked. Using the metal pole Rose had used as a spear earlier, he took a tentative step and then another until to Rose's amazement, he was able to make his way out of the stream bed. Rose helped him along when they had to climb any hills and they made their way to his hidden spot near the battlefield. It was an alcove near some boulders and was partially shaded. After a few more encouraging words, some worried glances and Rose kissing his cheek, she trudged off for water.

The trip seemed to take forever and a couple of times Rose worried she had missed a landmark. Her fatigue was causing her to stumble as well. Eventually she made it to the narrow canyon where the spring was located. The Doctor had warned her to stay out of the shadows and she couldn't help but shiver as she looked at the dark crevices around her. She stopped and picked up more medicinal herbs on the way to the water but swore she heard things scurrying around her. She was jumpy and on edge, just waiting for something to spring out at her. She found a long wooden branch that looked like it would make a good walking stick and grabbed that just in case they needed it. Worst case, she could make it into a spear. The Doctor was always telling her that if she found a resource, grab it as one never knew when one might need it.

Rose swore she felt something watching her as she made her way to the hidden spring. Perspiration poured down her neck and her heart pounded as she kneeled down to scoop sand away as the Doctor showed her in order to get the spring to well up water. The suns beat down on her and the heat was almost unbearable. At one point, she fell over face first into the water which jarred her back awake. As she scooped up some of the water to wet her face a movement caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. She was being stalked.

dwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdw

The Doctor hated waiting. It wasn't who he was. He was someone who took action whether it be talking someone into submission or forcibly and physically making his point. Even worse though, was that his mind was working overtime worrying about Rose. He couldn't deny his feelings for her any longer. He hadn't missed the look in her eyes as she'd left and then there was that sweet brush of her lips against his before they were interrupted by that blasted jackal. Part of him was supremely annoyed but another part reasoned now was not the time to get involved. They had to stay focused. The problem was, he couldn't stop thinking about her, how protective he felt of her and how enamoured he was of her strength and fortitude. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind either. That thought made him smile. Then, there was the fact that all that spunk and intelligence was wrapped up in a pretty curvy blonde package which he couldn't deny was appealing.

What drew the two of them together was powerful. In some ways, they were very much alike. Both questioned the world around them; both enjoyed adventure and hated injustice. They each stood their moral ground and weren't afraid to inform anyone of their opinion whether or not it was requested. It was these things combined with that intangible undefinable attraction between them that convinced him that it was only a matter of time before they couldn't deny their primal urges. He wanted her and he was certain she felt the same. The problem was that he didn't want to share her and certainly didn't want to put on a performance for the guards to their cell. He knew they put Rose in with him for the purpose of seeing what he'd do, to see if he'd do the exact thing he was contemplating.

Anger flared in him and his eyes hardened. Rose would not be disrespected that way. She was more than breeding material or some tool they used to manipulate him. No, she was better than that. There was only one solution and it was one he had been thinking about for a while. They needed to escape, free themselves from this place. There was only one way that would happen and it was a gruelling prospect. There was movement not far from him and he tensed, pulling out the metal pole Rose had used as a spear as he eyed the grey creature nibbling at vegetation. This was survival of the fittest and right now he was determined that was he and Rose.

He paused as he thought about this. He and Rose would survive and escape this place but what then? How would Gallifreyan society react to them? His nightmare and hallucinations hit him smack dab in the face. His memories of that time, what he saw and experienced were no mere trick of his fevered mind or a guilt ridden subconscious. No, those visions were important and had a reason. Nothing was random or accidental on Gallifrey. This made him analyse the events surrounding his arrival in the prison, the Death Zone and his meeting with Rose. Everything was connected. He and Rose would leave this place and then their real purpose and their lives would begin. He punctuated this thought by spearing the grey rabbit like creature and dragged it back toward him musing the sabre toothed rabbit was a lot like the Gallifreyan Council. They wouldn't see this coming and like the rabbit, their end was near.

dwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwddwdwdwdw

Rose turned in time to see a large animal staring at her from a dark crevice, its golden brown eyes, piercing and watchful. It was a little bit larger than the two headed jackal but its girth appeared bigger, more muscled. Rose stared at it and it stared at her. She didn't move and waited to see what it would do. After a while, she realized it had the same plan. Slowly, she rose up, her hand near her dagger. The animal didn't move but she could hear a rumbling growl from its lair. After staring at it for a while, Rose realized it was a Gallifreyan Lycan but it didn't belong here. They were only found at higher elevations, amongst trees and other wildlife.

Rose took a step closer and the Lycan shifted, almost tensing. It never stopped growling. Some rocks tumbled down the rock formation behind her. She was hesitant to lose site of the Lycan but something inside of her warned of danger. In one smooth move she pulled out her dagger and turned to find a horned desert dragon. She curse as it leapt toward her only to be attacked mid air by the Lycan. Rose stumbled backwards and rolled away from the two animals. She made her way around them as they growled, ripped at each other and dust and rocks flew. She made her way back to her pack and her water skins which she quickly packed up, her eyes never leaving the battle nearby, and the dagger close at hand. By the time she shifted away, the Lycan had killed the horned desert dragon, it's scaled body ripped apart. The Lycan was panting heavily as it looked at her. It shook its fur of dust and debris. It was twice the size of her with cinnamon coloured fur and massive paws, it's snout still covered in blood.

Its back and side had slashes in it and it collapsed to the ground, bleeding and still panting. Rose couldn't leave it. She couldn't say why but something about it, its oddness, how it didn't belong here drew her to it. Maybe it was because she was like it, she didn't belong here either or, maybe it was its eyes and the way it looked at her. There was something reflected in those golden eyes. Rose slowly walked over and knelt beside it. She knew wounded animals were dangerous and the Doctor would be furious if he was here but he wasn't and she was, and right now, her instincts screamed at her that she was not in danger. This creature saved her life and she owed it.

She pulled a shallow bowl out of her pack that she'd used to dig for water and poured some water into it and pushed it toward the Lycan which greedily lapped it up. Rose then set to making a salve for its wounds. It flinched and growled, baring it's sharp teeth at her as she treated it, but never nipped at her. She poured more water for it and then packed up her sack. It was getting late and she needed to get back to the Doctor. She backed away and as she left, it stood up and let out a howl that left her shivering. It then focused on its feast of the dragon lizard and Rose quickly made her way back to the Doctor. As she walked, she couldn't shake the feeling that something important had just happened.

The Doctor was already up and hobbling forward when she found him.

"I told you straight there and back! We don't have time for wandering off!" he snapped at her, a scowl on his face.

Rose was in no mood and couldn't help but see the remains of several sabre toothed rabbits he'd hunted. She cocked her hip out and shot him an annoyed look.

"And what about you? You were supposed to be resting, not off straining yourself on some hunting trip!"

"I was getting us our next meal!" he shouted back at her and then noticed some blood on her coat. His face paled. "What happened?" he demanded.

Rose looked to see what he was focused on. "It's nothing, just ran into a bit of trouble. It's sorted and I'm back. We need to head out before it gets too late. You up for it or do we need to make camp?" she asked, not willing to talk about the Lycan yet and judging by his mood, he wouldn't take well to the story right then.

He gave her a hard appraisal, knowing there was more to her trip than she was telling but she was right, they needed to head back. "Spent enough time here. Let's move," he commanded..

He waited for her to walk up to him and then put a hand on her shoulder. When she turned to look at him, his eyes burned into hers, his hand slipped to her waist and he pulled her against him and pressed his lips against hers.

Rose gasped in surprise and he took advantage of the parting of her lips to deepen the kiss. Rose wrapped her arms around him and pressed herself against him gently not wanting to irritate his chest wound. She returned his kiss with just as much passion, moaning slightly as their tongues tangled. His lips were firm and possessive as he showed her through some clever nips and one particular glorious rumbling groan how much he wanted her, needed her and how he had been worried. When they parted, it was with a breathlessness and hesitation. Rose felt flushed and very aware of him and the heat in his gaze. This was just a taste of what was between them, the searing desire and deep seeded want.

"We need to move," he finally said in a deep rumbling voice.

Rose nodded her head and walked beside him as they approached the battlefield. They paused getting their bearings and he pointed to an easier route up the opposite embankment. Of course, this meant they would spend more time crossing as it was a diagonal trek to get to it across the open field which was still filled with beings fighting for dominance, some of which were larger and stronger than either the Doctor or Rose. The Doctor knew they would make easy targets with him injured and Rose suffering from exhaustion. There was no choice. He wouldn't allow Rose to spend another night out there or face off against those shadow creatures. The suns were already well passed the mid day point.

"There's nothing left other than us to get to it. Sooner or later one of 'em is gonna notice us," Rose reminded him.

He grunted in response as he surveyed the body filled area. He noticed fallen Judoon and Sontaran warriors. "Rose, check those bodies over there," he said indicating some dead warriors to his right. Rose made her way over to some humanoid creatures with large, bulbous heads and short stocky bodies with grey-brown skin. They all looked quite similar and wore metallic military type uniforms. As Rose knelt near them, what bothered her the most was all of them died with their eyes open. She did her best to not think about that as she pulled things off them. There were hand held weapons and shiny round devices that looked like some sort of bomb. She assumed they were all some type of energy weapons, not that they were much help in the Death Zone. No pulse or energy weapons worked here according to the Doctor. She tossed what she found toward the Doctor, who began examining them.

Next were the Judoon who she had seen pictures of in school. They were known as the military faction of the Shadow Proclamation, a intergalactic governing force her people had dealings with but refused to allow any power over them. They were rhinoceridhumanoids also wearing armour. There were some discarded pulse rifles near them along with something that looked like a battle axe which Rose dragged over to the Doctor. He was examining all the weapons and pulling out his sonic screwdriver and pointing it at them.

"I thought none of these would work?" Rose asked and looked back toward the battling creatures, listening to blood curdling screams and grunts.

"They don't. At least, not when they were transmatted here, but if you know a bit about the dampening field and do a little jiggery pokery…" he informed her.

She smiled at him, it was a tired smile but one that conveyed her faith in him. "Then you might get them working again."

He gave her delighted look. "Just need a few moments."

Rose looked back at the battle and her smile faded. "Doctor, I don't think we have a few moments," she said and stood up as a giant creature twice her size began rampaging toward her. It was a Minotaur. She had thought them extinct yet one was now racing at her holding a wicked looking scimitar in its hand.

"It'll be all right," the Doctor assured her and kept working.

Rose looked back at the snorting creature and was sure it would not be all right, not even a little. She had to do something to give the Doctor more time.

"I'm…I'm going to draw it off."

"No!" he shouted. "You aren't. Just sit tight."

Rose shook her head as more of the creatures on the battlefield turned toward them. "Doctor," she said urgently but quietly. He looked up and cursed. Their eyes met, Rose nodded and sprinted off. Her heart was pounding and once again, she was living on an adrenalin rush.

"Oi you! Minotaur!" she shouted and picked up a boomerang type bladed weapon and threw it at the creature. It hit its mark and slashed its arm causing it to howl in rage and focus on her. Rose let loose a string of curses and bolted. It didn't take long before the creature was on her and she swore she could feel its hot breath on her neck and feel its blade grazing her coat. There were two flashes and it fell to the ground. Rose stumbled and looked back at the Doctor waving and shouting at her to "Move her arse!"

She ran back to him just as he threw two of the round metal balls at the crowd of warriors now focused on them. Just as she reached him, he yanked her toward him and threw her to the ground as two pulse grenades exploded. When he rolled off of her and Rose looked over, she could see at least half of those in the battle dead and the rest stunned but probably not for long. She and the Doctor quickly got up, walked and limped their way across the field. A few of the combatants tried to struggle toward them and that's when the Doctor found out the pulse weapons no longer worked. Those that ran this twisted game realized what he'd done and changed the dampening field frequency. Rose wrapped her arm around him and helped him to limp faster across the field to the embankment and was shoving him up whilst kicking at a creature grasping at her leg, trying to drag her back down. Rose was not about to let some mad homicidal alien drag her back into that nightmare of a battle field and viciously kicked the creature in its snouted face and followed the Doctor.

She lost steam after that and began wobbling as the past two days caught up with her. The Doctor slowed and grabbed her hand. The suns were beginning to sink further toward the horizon. Rose stumbled and fell to her knees. He said her name softly and she looked up at him with tears coursing down her face.

"Shhhh, love," he whispered to her. "It'll be all right. We're almost there. Just a bit further. Come on," he encouraged. She gripped his hand and slowly they made their way back to their cell. Once inside, Rose dropped her pack and collapsed onto the makeshift bed. He did the same and looked over at her. Both of them were a mess, tired, dirty and in need of a good meal and hydration. For now, they just rested and enjoyed each other.

Later, while she slept, he unpacked everything, cooked a meal and began planning what they would do next. He examined the wound on his foot. It was a certainty he would not be here without Rose's care. It was an odd wound and made him wonder about the shadow creatures. There had been no such creatures on Gallifrey during his time and something about them was niggling at the back of his mind. Those responsible for the Death Zone games could have transported them from another world or time but all the other wildlife was indigenous to Gallifrey so why bring these creatures? They seemed to only inhabit the area near the battlefield.

An idea formed in his mind. A horrifying conjecture that was sounding more and more plausible. These creatures inhabited the battlefield for a reason and it wasn't just to consume the dead or dying. His mind raced as he looked at the wound on his leg. It wasn't poison they injected him with, it was far worse. He looked at Rose sleeping nearby, her brow furrowing every now and then as she dreamed. The Doctor swallowed hard. Things just took a new darker twist and if he had not been contemplating leaving with Rose before, he was adamant now. As soon as they were rested and healed, they were leaving.

Those creatures weren't indigenous to Gallifrey and in fact, they weren't indigenous to any world in the universe. They were what happened when one attempted to control time, bending it to some purpose against what should be or what must be. The Doctor delved deep inside of himself to the ancient ability to sense time and as he focused on the swirls and eddies of time, how it flowed and connected all living things, he felt the dissonance, the harsh wrenching turns and cracks that grated on his senses almost painfully. He looked down at his foot, now healing at a remarkable rate. The shadow creatures had been drawn to him, to his time line and how it connected him to what no longer was, what is and what might never be. It hadn't just been a physical injury, they'd attacked his time essence.

It all clicked into place now. The sentient beings set to fight on the battlefield had been scooped off their worlds, removed from their proper place and timelines creating paradoxes or rifts in time on their worlds causing a temporal corruption. The shadow creatures were there in an attempt to eliminate the cause of the paradox by consuming them to heal those rifts. As he thought about the mere existence of the shadow creatures and how many of them there were, another thought occurred to him. This wasn't just about sentient beings being abducted to fight in some twisted and violent games, this was related to Gallifrey itself.

The Doctor felt anger mixed with horror course through him as he realized this was a result of a plan enacted by a few power hungry fools who sought to control Gallifrey itself and who wiped out the Doctor's family. It didn't end there. The Doctor himself bore some of the responsibility. He had used the Chronoweaver attempting to stop those who trying to wield time to recreate Gallifrey to their design. The instability of their technology combined with his use of the Chronoweaver had created this world as it was. He gazed down at Rose again, now suffering from her own nightmares.

He limped over and sat on the bed next to her stroking her forehead and hair until she calmed. He had to fix this. It wasn't just about politics anymore, this was about time rupturing and the potential for more of those shadow creatures appearing, devouring any life form they perceived as a threat to time. Rose's eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him, grasping his hand in hers. He felt a sharp sense of belonging with her. The Doctor swallowed hard as he looked into her brown eyes realizing this wasn't just him, it was them. She had a part to play. He didn't know what or how but everything in him screamed that Rose was key in solving this and it would fall to the two of them to find the answer.

She pulled his hand to her lips and tugged him further into the blankets serving as their bed as if sensing his distress. The Doctor wrapped his arms around her as she cuddled into him. "It'll be all right," she whispered. "I'm never gonna leave you. Whatever we have to do, we do it together, yeah?"

"Yeah," he answered, his voice rough and tinged with desperation and a touch of determination. He wasn't ready to let her go and didn't know if he would ever be. He fell asleep nuzzling her neck and dreamt of a life he wanted with her, a life he didn't really believe he could have.

.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I am behind again. Work has been crazy insane and I was traveling so, yep behind. This chapter is a bit shorter but it was a good stopping point and I wanted to post an update so here it is! Following chapter will be a bit adventurey with some bonding and there will be smut as it's time. These two deserve a little loving!

Rose awakened the next morning to a crashing sound mixed with a few grunts. She blearily opened her eyes to see the Doctor tossing one of their prison guards across the room where the clearly battered guard crashed into a pile of wood that must have been a chair at one point. She abruptly sat up and watched as another guard crawled across the dirty stone floor toward the open cell door and another stared at her as blood poured down his face. The guard made a few nasty comments about her and then assured the Doctor they would both be punished for disobedience. He then limped out with his injured friends and slammed the cell door shut.

Rose slipped out of the pile of blankets and walked over to the Doctor who was standing tall and imperious, sweat glistening on his now bare chest. He was an impressive sight standing there in nothing but his leather trousers glaring at the guards.

"What was that about?" she asked and examined him for any further injury. He leaned over and picked up a boot he must have yanked off of one of the guards and turned to beam a huge grin at her pleased at replacing his previously destroyed footwear.

"Doctor?" she asked, annoyance lacing her voice as she looked down at his bandaged and wounded foot which although looking better, was still swollen and in need of attention.

"Nothing going on. Just business as usual," he replied, turning and limped over to the fire where he tossed the boot in corner and focused on the table which had evidence that he had been in the process of making a meal before scuffling with the guards.

Rose crossed her arms and directed an expectant look at him.

He rolled his eyes. "Someone wasn't too pleased with me bypassing their dampening field yesterday. Thought they could come in here and relieve me of my sonic."

Rose's previous condemning look softened into one of concern tinged with a bit of fear. That sounded very bad and she worried that perhaps now something worse would follow. The Doctor seemed to sense her concern.

"The guards won't be back," he said with a hard edge to his voice focusing on preparing their meal.

Rose walked up to him and accepted a mug of tea. She sipped it as she watched him. He looked better, his movements were strong, sure and more as she was used to seeing him. Although he seemed physically better, Rose couldn't ignore the intensity in his eyes and how he was lost in his thoughts or had some unspoken concern reflected in his efficient and decisive movements. Perhaps it was the guards or worries about what their captors would do next, but Rose had a feeling it was something else. She decided to push him to talk to her.

"So, they came for your sonic and you told them no?" she questioned and sipped more tea.

He passed her a plate with a roasted meat, root vegetables and berries and didn't respond for a moment as if choosing his words carefully before directing a serious look at her. "I'm tired of people taking from me. Wasn't going to let it happen again," he finally explained.

His gaze reflected much more than he was expressing verbally and she felt him look at her as if daring someone to try and taker her. She could do no more than look back at him feeling similarly. She didn't want to lose him either and yet…she worried. "But it's not over is it? These people that have us here under their control and they aren't pleased that we cheated."

"Cheated!" he snorted and banged a plate down as he served himself. "I outwitted them. Maybe they don't like that they don't control us as much as they think and that we beat their nasty little game." He glanced at the door. "As if some soft and stupid guards could come in here and do what _they_ don't have the guts to do themselves!" he shouted and stared at the ceiling.

Rose looked at her food and poked at it, her mind still whirling with possibilities and none of them good. "They won't like it. That you rebelled, that we survived and bypassed their rules. So tell me Doctor, what'll they do next? And, don't tell me you don't know because I think you do or have an idea and I'd really like to know. I'm a bit tired of dealing with the unknown and for once in this awful place, I want to be prepared."

He looked at her and his face softened. "They'll punish us, keep us locked up and maybe send the guards by every once and a while to rough us up. Don't know for certain but last time I thumbed my nose at them, they locked me in here for a while."

"You mean they didn't let you go out foraging?" Rose asked, worried and looking at their supplies.

He leaned over and gently cupped her cheek. "We'll be fine. We have supplies. Might have to ration a bit but we'll survive." He turned back to his meal and scooped some of it into his mouth and seemed to relish it. "Could use a bit of a holiday, us. I still have healing and you…You Rose Tyler, need rest."

Rose took a bite of her meal and slowly chewed thinking about this. She supposed they could go a few days without foraging but what if it went beyond that. Without food or water, they would be at the mercy of those guards and she didn't like the thought of that. Still, the Doctor was right, they could use a rest.

"It'll be all right," he said softly.

Rose looked up at him and smiled. She slipped her hand into his and squeezed. "So, holiday then?"

He nodded his head. "For now."

Rose cocked her head to the side. The way he said that made her think he meant something more. "For now and then we…" she said, leaving off and hoping he would add more.

He looked at her pointedly. "Best eat that," he ordered, nodding his head and then focused on shovelling food in his mouth and working at organizing their supplies.

Rose sighed and took her meal back to the blankets and settled down. It frustrated her that he wouldn't confide in her when she thought they had finally made progress, grown closer out in the Death Zone. In fact, she felt a little hurt. What was that delicious and memorable kiss they'd shared out in the Death Zone then? She watched him organize and stack things in piles, seemingly focused on his task even if he banged a few things down. This was not random or him having a fit of temper. Well, perhaps there was a touch of anger involved. She finished her meal watching him and made up her mind that enough was enough.

The Doctor, meanwhile, was focused on making a plan for when they'd escape and how. He thought about the Death Zone and where it might be physically located on Gallifrey and whether or not there would be any type of barrier preventing them from leaving. His mind worked out probabilities of escape considering their physical condition, their supplies, the environmental challenges and the more dangerous life forms they may face along with any other obstacles their captors may set after them. It was easier for him to think about this versus what might have happened to Rose if their guards had their way.

Whilst Rose slept, he had faced off against the guards who taunted him about her and how he hadn't made good use of her and how they wouldn't have the same problem. They had been cocky, foul and disgusting. He had led Rose to believe he had beaten them back for attempting to take his sonic and they had come for that, but he hadn't told Rose it was about her too. In fact, it was threats against her that had infuriated him. Their lascivious comments had caused a dark possessive streak in him to flare to life.

The Doctor felt strongly that she was his even if they had done nothing more than kiss. Part of him knew he had no right but another part of him wanted to howl at rage at anyone who dared to threaten her. A focused violence emerged and an injured foot didn't diminish the lethal skills employed against the guards. Noses were crushed, bones broken and wounds inflicted that would leave scars. In the end, they retreated and the only reason he allowed it was because Rose had awakened. He could have done much worse.

Having to face Rose after the incident had been difficult. He needed time to calm down and release his anger. Then, there was also a concern that they were being watched. He needed to discuss plans for escape but not if it alerted their captors. Her glares and pointed stares did not escape him. It was only a matter of time before she walked over and demanded he talk to her. The thought of such stubborn determination thrilled him a bit. He wanted to challenge her and in the most intimate ways but not here.

It didn't take long. After her own introspection, Rose finally walked over, slammed her plate down, crossed her arms and stared at him. He looked at her and she arched her brow at him. "Doctor," she said in an irritated voice.

"Rose," he responded with a touch of sass, amusement sparkling in his eyes as he watched her bristle at him.

"Stop it!" she snapped. "Don't treat me like this, like I might brake or like you have to make all the decisions because I can't handle it. I can, Doctor and you know it."

"I do," he acknowledged, nodding his head. He pulled out his sonic and began flicking settings on it until finally he seemed satisfied. Rose grew more impatient thinking he was just trying to delay talking to her.

"It's safe to talk now," he said after a while and turned to her.

She looked around their cell nervously. "You mean they're watching us?"

"Could be. Not exactly pleased with us and especially not after I sent their guards packing. We aren't fitting in with what they want in their games. I'll wager you sent them for a loop. Probably didn't expect a Gallifreyan lady to kick arse like you did."

Rose smiled at this and then remembered she was angry with him. "Don't change the subject. You have something in mind. What don't you want them to know?"

"We have to leave and soon."

"You have a plan?" she asked, excited to leave but nervous about it.

He nodded and explained that the only feasible way out was through the Death Zone. Rose stared at him in disbelief.

"It's the only way. We could escape our cell but there are more of them and the truth is they have better weapons. We'd never make it out alive through the prison," he said with certainty.

"But we don't even know where this Death Zone is on Gallifrey," Rose worried whilst her mind ran through this possible scenario thinking about what crossing the Death Zone would entail.

"Been thinking about it," he replied. He then recited what he know of Gallifreyan geography and how he was sure there were mountains or other geologic features surrounding the area, separating it from the general population and making it undesirable for any of the population to visit. He also guessed that over time, records were manipulated and people were told lies and deceived about this place. It wasn't as if people scooping other species out of space and time couldn't manipulate the population of Gallifrey to think whatever they wanted.

Rose felt her temper flare. She looked at him with eyes reflecting this irritation and a determination that they would make this work. She then told him what she knew about the topography of Gallifrey and between the two of them, they worked out where they thought they were. Sadly, this location was no where near where her home was. It would take them weeks to reach House Vitex on foot.

"Let's focus on getting out of here first," he suggested and unrolled a pelt on which the two of them sketched a diagram of where they believed they were.

Rose looked over the make-shift map. "You think we need to head for the mountains, yeah?" she asked.

"Yes, if we can get across this desert terrain, the mountains will have more resources and they put us in the direction that's toward the capitol. You did say your house was primed to be elected the ruling house, yes?"

Rose nodded her head, her heart beating faster at the thought of finding her father and telling him what had happened. It all seemed so surreal, seeing him and her family again. So much had changed in her life and she had changed. She wasn't the same Rose. It wasn't like she didn't wonder what her family thought had happened to her or if they were worried. She knew they must but she had separated these two worlds in her mind, focusing on the here and now, on surviving and making it day to day. Then, there was the Doctor.

They were standing next to each other, their bodies bumping occasionally and she couldn't imagine a life without him. Logically, she knew they were thrown together in this unimaginable horrific situation and that effected her emotions but deep down, there was more. Rose felt a connection to him that exceeded a survival mode. Yes, she needed him to survive here but she enjoyed his company. He respected her and treated her like an equal, not like a child or someone who needed to be told what to do. The Doctor listened to her and made her feel like what she thought and said was important.

He wasn't like any other man she had met. Rose could see an underlying pain in his eyes and the compassionate part of her wanted to help soothe that. He was clearly brilliant, sharp witted and Rose was quite certain he could best any other man on Gallifrey if he chose. She was equally sure he wouldn't choose to exert his power or mind over anyone. That wasn't him. The Doctor was more about pointing out what was wrong and giving one the chance to make things better. Of course, she had no doubts that if he found the people that had done this to them, he would stop them no matter what that entailed. The Doctor was a just man who didn't choose violence as his first course of action, but he was deadly when necessary. She'd seen that with her own eyes in the Death Zone.

"You okay?" he asked when he continued talking about the plan to leave and Rose didn't respond.

"Sorry, was just thinking about what it would be like to get out of here," she explained, smiling softly at him.

He reached a hand over to gently cup her cheek and leaned in to kiss her. When he pulled back, there was such a soft light in his eyes. "Let's just worry about getting us out of here in one piece. We'll deal with family later."

Rose nodded and looked back down at the map. "The mountains look awfully far." She pointed at one area of the map. "These are deserts, right?" He nodded in response. "It's a lot of area to cross. I mean, what about water and supplies? What if we don't find resources out there?"

"Thought of that," he said in a confidant voice. I've bee out as far as here," he said, indicating that he had done a fair amount of exploring beyond where they went for water. "We carry mostly water and some dried meat. We water up here and try and follow a line where there's some greenery. If there are plants, there's water. I think we can follow this line," he said, sliding his finger across the map. "To the mountains," he continued.

Rose nodded and bit her lip. "And you think the mountains will have water and resources then? I mean, I read about them but don't remember what they were like or how high they were."

"When I was young, I spent some time in these mountains. We might have to make due with limited supplies in some places but…" He paused and looked at her again. "Rose, it's better than here. If we stay here, there's a good chance we'll die or worse."

Rose felt his hand grasp hers as the full impact of his words hit home. _Or worse_ , was not lightly said. He was worried and she had a feeling it was about her. She remembered how the guards had looked at her as he kicked them out and the heavy weight of what he was implying hit home. She looked down at his foot which was looking much better but still needed healing.

The Doctor saw this and pulled her into his arms for a hug. "I'm fine," he said quietly into her hair. "They probably won't let us out for a day or two as punishment. We take this time to rest and recover. Then, we leave and don't look back."

Rose pulled away and looked up at him, sliding her hands up and down his back. When she was in his arms like this and looking into his eyes filled with such confidence and what she hoped was love, she felt like she could take on the world and for all she knew, that was what they were about to do. She nodded.

"Okay, we're doing this together." She looked around their cell and back at him and stepped back, a steely look in her eye. "You mister, need to rest," she said poking him in the chest and glancing down at his foot again.

"I'm fine. Told you, superior biology," he retorted sounding almost annoyed.

"Yeah, well we're about to face who knows how many days of desert walking ahead of us. Now go lie down and get off that foot!" she sternly ordered him.

A naughtily glimmer sparkled in his eyes. "The lady is ordering me to bed," he commented, his voice deepening and a smouldering look was directed at her. He reached up and tucked a few loose hairs behind her ear. "One day, when we aren't in a prison cell or fighting for our lives, or healing from injuries, bed's gonna take on a whole new meaning."

Rose swallowed hard and licked her lips. "Yeah."

He leaned down and softly pressed his lips against hers and Rose wrapped her arms around him again. Her tongue swiped at is lower lip and they deepened their kiss, tongues gliding against one another. She groaned as he tugged her against his tall muscular frame and she wrapped her leg around his. There was a heat simmering between them and Rose wanted more and it was obvious he did too. He separated from her with reluctance. "Not yet, not here but soon," he promised in a growling voice.

Rose nodded her head and tried to calm her breathing. She cleared her throat. "Your…your leg," she stammered.

He lay down and Rose focused on cleaning and treating his wound which at the rate he was healing would be nothing more than a scar in a day or two. As he rested, Rose busied herself with organizing, giving herself a quick sponge bath and tending to her own bodily needs. Both of them needed to be rested and ready when the time came for them to leave. That time came just as the Doctor predicted. They were locked in their cell for four days, depleting their supplies and were taunted by the guards frequently. They often were awakened in the middle of the night by clanking and sirens from the guards who laughed at their discomfort. Rose and the Doctor did their best to ignore them and try and rest.

When the cell opened to the Death Zone, the Doctor shot Rose a significant look. It was time. Their packs had been mostly prepared. They made last minute preparations and quietly checked each other off. The Doctor's foot was healed and he had on his new boots he had liberated during his scuffle with the guards. They stood in the doorway to the Death Zone and stared at each other. The Doctor held out his hand.

"Ready?" he asked.

Rose nodded and smiled at him. She turned back to their cell one more time, only too happy to leave the dark, dingy stone prison. She was leaving this cell in a tougher, leaner condition than she entered it. Her hair was longer and a braid lay down her back. Her clothes were worn and dingy but serviceable. She ran her hands once down her trousers and then grasped the Doctor's hand. They may have entered the cell separately, being tossed in as prisoners, but they left it together, as partners and on their way to freedom.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the evil cliffie! I had to end it some where ;) Apologies if there are any errors or typos. I'm still struggling through a sinus infection and my head is throbbing so I hope I got everything. Thanks again for reading.

They started on their way through the Death Zone like they would have any other trip, their steps cautious but hopeful as they trudged through the sand and gravel with the heat of the suns just beginning to beat down on them. This trip wasn't about just surviving or gathering supplies, it was laced with hope and a determination to be free. They climbed up the embankment to cross the battlefield, same as usual and that's when the usual ended. As they peeked down to scan the ground before them, they paused and swallowed hard. Below was a scene out of a nightmare. The air was filled with the roar of clashing armour, swords, talons, grunts and screams. This wasn't just a few dozen creatures in combat with each other, it was over a hundred caught up in a struggle over life and death.

"Doctor," Rose breathed as she took it in, her hand tightened around his. She'd never seen so many people or creatures in a struggle for survival. It wasn't just humanoids, Silurians or any of the other creatures they'd seen before, there were giant armoured and clawed beasts the size of a small hover craft, serpentine snake-like creatures with huge fanged mouths that swallowed men whole. Blades flashed in the light of the twin suns shining down on the dusty field, quickly being covered with bodies of the dead and dying. Spears hurtled through the air as did arrows as creatures almost blindly attacked each other with a deadly desperation. A few leapt throw the air with a battle cry while others howled in rage and anger, grunting as their blades or talons found purchase in their opponents with a clang of armour or squish of flesh tearing. If Rose's first trip to this battlefield was shocking and overwhelming, this left her heart slamming in her chest and fear shooting through her. It was something out of a nightmare and they had to cross it.

"Rose." The Doctor turned her to look at him. "We can do this."

"Are you kidding me! Look out there! We barely survived the last couple times we crossed and there were less of them and much less…"

Her voice drifted off as the very ground trembled. Her eyes widened and her whole body trembled as she watched the field below them explode when a giant horned beetle burst out sending sand, rocks and combatants flying. Rose backed up to the Doctor, shaking her head. "It's impossible."

The doctor gripped her shoulders, his eyes intense and focused on her. "We can do this," he said with strength, enunciating every word. "We will do this."

Rose felt tears in her eyes from fear and the amount of faith he had in her. She squeezed her eyes shut and breathed in as if she was inhaling his courage and strength. She nodded once. "How?"

The Doctor let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He needed her focused and strong for the crossing but most of all, he needed her to believe in him. Her trust and faith were key. He would make this happen for her but it wouldn't' be easy.

"We need a distraction."

"You said they changed the frequency of the dampening field so your sonic won't work anymore."

"That's only for pulse weapons. Won't need any of those this time."

"Doctor, there are hundreds of armed aliens with nothing but killing on their minds down there not to mention that giant beetle thing that wiped out at least of dozen of them. I think we need more the exploding type of distraction and if we can't use energy weapons…"

The Doctor looked over at her as she stared down at the battlefield wincing as she watched. He needed to show her he was fully recovered from his prior injuries and that this was just a small hurdle they would easily solve.

"Rose Tyler, you forgetting something?" he asked with a touch of arrogant confidence. Rose turned to him, doubt and worry reflected in her eyes.

He leaned into her "I'm clever." He straightened up and toed the gravel laden ground. "I said a distraction, not let's blow up the field." A twinkle lit his eye again and he looked over at her mischievously. "Although, there's a justice and elegance to exploding a war zone."

Rose felt a smile creep onto her face. Trust her Doctor to find something light in all of this. "So what kind of distraction did you have in mind? I mean it's not like their gonna stop for tea or cause we do a little song and dance."

"Oh I dunno," he said as he knelt on the ground and picked up some of the soil allowing it to fall through his fingers. "Might stop for a bit of show."

Rose arched a brow at him and looked at the ground he was focused on and then looked at the ridge. That's when she put things together and realized what he was thinking. It was mad, insane and impossible…and so him.

"You're not going to do what I think, are you?" she asked cautiously as he whipped out his sonic and scanned the ridge.

"Might do to stand a bit back. This is gonna get a bit exciting."

Rose shook her head. "A complete nutter. A brilliant nutter for sure but…" She scrambled back a few yards and watched as he looked up at the sky grinning and waving as if he knew there was some recording device pointed at him. "Oh. he had to go and give them the royal piss off salute," she muttered, her head in her hands.

He pointed his sonic down and there was a loud crack and rumbling noise. The Ground vibrated and the Doctor ran down toward her, sliding and slipping as the ground shook and gave way. He continued his mad dash until he grabbed her hand and pulled her further away shouting, "Run!"

They slid to a stop near some boulders as dust filled the air choking them. After the initial boom and sound of rock and sand falling, there was a deafening silence. The Doctor pulled Rose up and they made their way through what was left of the embankment. Rose couldn't see very well and was too busy coughing dust and dirt out of her mouth to notice much. The Doctor seemed better off, coughing occasionally but confidant as he guided her along. When they air began to clear, she could see the result of the Doctor's work, a massive land slide. Half the embankment had crumbed down onto the battle field. Rocks, boulders and massive amounts of gravel had fallen and engulfed the area like a tsunami of soil and rock. Not much was moving. Rose wasn't sure if that was due to the combatants being buried, having fled or were too stunned to move.

"Quickly," he whispered as they scrambled and climbed down making their way over the debris and onto the battlefield. As they climbed down off the last of the fallen gravel, a growl sounded. Out of a cloud of dust, appeared a gold armoured minotaur holding an giant battle axe, it's eyes set on the Doctor and Rose.

The Doctor handed Rose his pack. "Rose, keep going."

"No, I'm not leaving you."

"I once told you that in order to survive, I needed you to listen and do as I say without question. Now would be one of those times."

"Yeah, and as I recall that didn't always work out so well," Rose answered, not liking this one bit. "We have a long way to go and don't need you injured."

"No time for this. Minotaur's don't give up once they initiate combat. They don't stop till one of you is dead and it will hunt us down unless I deal with it, now run!" he ordered just as the minotaur charged him. He easily dodged the giant creature. Minotaurs were known for brute force and focused attacks, not agility or grace. He couldn't see Rose and breathed a sigh of relief. Now he could focus on his opponent. They circled each other, the minotaur shaking his head, snorting and doing everything it could to be intimidating. It was part of how its species battled.

The Doctor was silent, stalking around the creature, his eyes focused, taking in every detail, the slight weakness in it's left leg, a tiny tremble in its neck as it tensed to charge and a muscle tick in the arm that held the axe. A minotaur didn't think about strategy or anticipate movements like the Doctor nor did it understand how to use body language to design a defence. The Doctor rolled out of the way as the Minotaur leapt forward, arching his body away from where the axe would have struck, grabbing a handful of sand which he threw it at the Minotaur's eyes.

The creature howled and captured the attention of the other combatants which were slowly crawling out of the rubble. It swung blindly with its axe. The Doctor easily avoided it but he now had other problems. A group of Silurian warriors were taking a keen interest in him and the minotaur. The ground began to tremble and rocks from the landslide began to vibrate.

The Doctor cursed. "Bloody giant Gassark Beetle!" He knew it was coming but didn't know from where. The Silurians hesitated but still glared at him and the blinded minotaur which rampaging in his direction. Just as he was considering a mad dash to a group of boulders, the minotaur howled, stopped and toppled over with a metal bolt protruding from its back. Rose stood off in the distance, a cross bow in her arms. She looked at him defiantly. Their eyes met and for a moment the field, the other warriors and everything disappeared. He felt her challenge him and something inside of him responded.

As quickly as the connection established between them, it disappeared with a roar of the minotaur as it tried to rise up. The Doctor sprang forward, grabbed the axe and hacked off the minotaur's head. Another bolt shot through the air at the approaching Silurians. The Doctor looked up, swung the axe around, prepared to fight. He didn't want this, had hoped to avoid it but he'd do what he had to in order to keep Rose safe. The ground rumbled again and he lost his balance. A giant Gassark Beetle appeared near the Silurians. Just as the giant creature burst forth, he felt a hand grasp his and tug at him.

Golden brown eyes met his and that was all the encouragement he needed as they raced away from the horror of the battlefield. Rose pulled him further along to a group of boulders on the other side of the field where she had laid their packs aside. Panting, she collapsed against one of the giant rocks.

"I told you to bugger off!" the Doctor groused, happy to be alive but annoyed that Rose had disobeyed him and risked both their lives.

"And I told you I wasn't gonna leave you!" she shouted back. "Besides, I did what you told me. I left. You didn't tell me I had to stay away, now did you!"

He looked up at her, ready to row but when she stood before him defiant, angry, out of breath, looking radiant and full of life, he couldn't do much more than stand their staring at her, envious of a tiny bead of perspiration trailing down her neck and wanting nothing more than to lick and nibble at that very tempting neck. Of course, the glare being directed at him didn't look like she'd appreciate that. Then again, it was that attitude and inner strength that stirred him up deep inside. She was strong, smart, determined, loyal and he wanted to kiss her and teach her that battling wasn't the only way to put that passionate look in her eyes. First, though, they had to get further away and focus on their goal.

"Rose, you could have gotten both of us killed," he finally responded in a biting voice trying to ignore the inner voice that was shouting _snog her_.

"Or _you_ could have been hurt or worse if I hadn't gone back to save your stubborn arse," she quipped. "We're still partners in this. I thought we agreed on that," she reminded him, still unhappy but relieved they were both in one piece and well enough to argue about it. She didn't miss the darkening of his eyes or how he stared at her mouth. If he was feeling the effects of nearly dying out there, so was she and in a very life affirming way that did not include arguing.

He walked up to her until he was inches away. "And I still know more about this place then you, been in more battles then you and killed more than you," he growled.

As he leaned into her, the scent of sweat, dust from the battle mixed with the leather he wore enveloped her making her breath catch. She grabbed him by his leather breast plate and yanked him to her, her mouth slamming against his. He groaned and his arms encircled her, as tongues duelled for a dominance neither would achieve. They were partners in not just the escape but in the passion that now consumed them. Rose moaned at the feeling of his hard body pressed against her and wrapped her leg around his hip, wanting and needing more. A roar echoed and they broke apart.

They looked around and then at each other. "Best continue this elsewhere," he suggested. This was then followed with a cocky knowing grin and a slap on her arse.

She unwrapped herself and tried to glare at him but it was tinged with a smile. "Don't get cocky."

He grinned brighter and picked up his pack. "Might be showing you how…cocky I can be later on."

She smacked him on the arm and shouldered her own pack. They quickly made there way further into the Death Zone and toward the canyon where they would refill water skins and forage for supplies.

As the Doctor, filled the containers with water, Rose picked berries, roots, medicinal plants and anything that looked like they could use on a long journey. She never liked this canyon. The dark crevices un-nerved her, made her feel like she was being watched. As the suns moved across the sky, the shadows of the narrow canyon stretched out darkening the depths of the rocky ravine. She shivered and started backing out as a feeling of unease overcame her. Memories of the shadow creatures was still fresh in her mind along with tales the Doctor had told her about other nasty things that inhabited this place. As she left, a flash of cinnamon coloured fur caught her eye. Another memory, this one not as traumatic was triggered, one of a Gallifreyan Lycan saving her life and a tentative truce between them as she nursed its injury.

It had been an odd encounter and one that Rose couldn't help but wonder if it had a more spiritual and profound meaning. It was something the Reverend Mum would say something important and insightful about it. Rose smiled at that. It had been so long since she'd seen her friend and yet she carried the Reverend Mum with her wherever she went, thinking about her advice and the knowledge she had imparted to Rose as well as how that advice had served her here.

"Rose," the Doctor called out, causing her to jump.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked, immediately tensed and on alert.

"It's nothing. It's just this place always gives me the creeps is all. I don't like the shadows," she murmured and looked once back at the canyon thinking how happy she was to not have to ever see that place again.

"Don't blame you. I'm not fond of them myself. Especially, after…"

Rose nodded knowing what he meant. She grabbed his hand and squeezed. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Ready?"

"Yeah, let's get out of here."

The journey wasn't as difficult as Rose expected. They travelled for hours over familiar terrain, desert with gravel sand and a few scattered boulders for as far as one could see. There were some sparse scrub brush and ironwood trees and some small wildlife but nothing dangerous thus far. It was just walking, pausing for a water break and then more walking over the copper coloured sand. They didn't talk much as it wasted energy and both of them were just focused on making as much progress as they could before the sun set.

That night, they set up camp amidst a couple large boulders. The temperature was plummeting quickly and the Doctor started a small fire. Rose sat back staring into the flames, eating a bit of roasted meat the Doctor had cooked and popping a few berries in her mouth listening as the nocturnal dwelling wildlife became active. Another night in the Death Zone was still fresh in her mind and she was on edge.

The Doctor sat nearby. "I'll take first watch. Get some rest."

Rose looked over at him, the firelight emphasizing his chiselled features and classic profile. A howl and a shriek echoed in the night. Rose tensed. The Doctor put a hand on her shoulder and slowly prowled out of their camp to take a look. Rose pulled a knife from a sheath on her boot, memories of horned desert dragons and two headed coyotes causing her adrenalin to pump.

The Doctor hopped down from one of the boulders startling her. "Easy now. Won't do for you to bleed me. Think of all the nasty neighbours that'd stop by for tea. We'd never get them to leave," he teased.

Rose closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them he was there and pulled her into his arms. He rocked her and crooned a song in ancient Gallifreyan to her. She curled up in his arms feeling safe. It was a given to her that she would always be safe in his arms. Eventually, sleep claimed her.

She woke up a few hours later laying on a blanket, the fire dying down and the sky dotted with glittering stars. "It's so beautiful," she whispered.

"You miss this in the city," the Doctor said from nearby. "So busy with politics, family business, trying to get ahead of one another or worrying about someone else's business, you never just stop and remember the universe is filled with all those stars, worlds with billions of life forms, some intelligent, some peaceful, some dangerous and all completely fantastic."

Rose smiled. "You've been out there, yeah?"

He smiled down at her. "A bit, here and there, a long time ago."

"I wish I could see, go and explore," Rose confessed.

"Maybe you will. Once we get out of her, might be our best option."

Rose turned to him. "Us? We'd leave Gallifrey and go see different planets?"

"Why not? Might not be welcome here when we escape this place."

Rose's smile dimmed. "Yeah."

"Rose," he called out softly. She looked back at him and it was obvious she was worried about the future."

"It'll be all right. I've been through a lot on this planet, faced off against my own family and those who corrupted Gallifrey and I'm still here. We survived the Death Zone and we will take down those responsible for these barbaric games and for what they did to you and I."

Something in Rose, knew this was the truth. She nodded and offered to take the next shift. He paused, staring at her for moment before agreeing. His sleep was mired with nightmares from the past and from their present situation in the Death Zone. Rose awakened him a few times with comforting words and a soft kiss on the temple before soothing him back to sleep. The last time he awakened, it was to the scent of tea and breakfast. They ate a simple meal in the silence before packing up and heading out once again.

It seemed like the heat was worse. They had to stop more often and Rose wanted to remove her coat but he wouldn't let her, insisting it protected her skin from the burning suns. By the end of the day, she was collapsing. He scouted the area until he found a wind worn stone outcropping. It wasn't much protection but it was the best he could do. He tacked up a blanket to shade her and slowly fed her water. It wouldn't be long before their supply would run dangerously low. He would need to find a spring soon. Rose slept off her exhaustion whilst he watched over her that night. It was not peaceful.

Hundreds of blood worms, pale, sand coloured creatures the size of his thumb burrowed through the sand toward them. They were parasites that latched onto a host, not letting go until it was dead. He hated them, having had one latch on to him once and it took him nearly burning his arm off to get rid of the nasty little creature. He built up the fire and spread it around the camp site trying to keep them away. Eventually, he programmed his sonic to pulse a pitch that exploded them. It had taken a few attempts and he may have stomped a few of them into disgusting spurts of blood on the sand.

He had looked over at Rose with worry. She had slept through the whole ordeal without waking once. She was suffering from heat exhaustion and part of him was glad she didn't wake up but another part of him was worried for her health. Unfortunately, that was only the beginning of his night. The scent of dead blood worms drew another more deadly predator to their camp, an armoured fox devil. The grey armoured beast with a snouted mouth filled with needle sharp teeth prowled into camp unafraid of the fire, its glowing eyes fixed on a slumbering Rose.

The Doctor picked up a spear and tensed ready to defend them and that's when he caught a glimpse of movement over a sand dune. There was more than one. He cursed. These things were vicious and didn't give up. It could have a leg ripped off and would still continue attacking. He inhaled and stretched his neck. So be it. He wasn't letting them touch Rose. The fox devil growled and charged, its eyes on this thigh and its mouth snarling. He stabbed it with the spear and tossed it aside before another came at him. Soon, more appeared on the dunes, it was a pack. He pulled out his knife. He stabbed and kicked one and just as more were heading toward him, including the ones he'd injured, a giant Gallifreyan lycan raced out of the night and attacked the fox devils.

He took a few steps back toward Rose as he watched the lycan massacre the snarly devil fox. When it was done, it turned and looked at him, it's golden eyes glowing in the moonlight and then it howled. He heard Rose mutter in her sleep and raced over to her. Her brow was furrowed and she mumbled his name. When she calmed and he looked back out over the desert and the lycan was gone. He spent the rest of the night tense and nervous. There were no Gallifreyan lycans in the desert. Where had it come from?

The next morning, Rose awakened rested and recovered. She'd smiled brightly at him and then noticed his own exhausted look. He dismissed it and promised he'd sleep the next night. He never told her of the attack or about the lycan. They packed and continued on. They found a small group of brush near some rocky terrain and after digging for what seemed hours, they unearthed a water source. They again filled up their skins and looked around trying to get their bearings.

"I don't see any mountains," Rose noted and sounding worried.

"We need to keep moving. I can feel the elevation changing. It's a few more days out is all," he said although his own confidence was wavering.

Rose walked over and hugged him despite both of them being covered in sweat and sand. Neither smelled very good and both looked worn. It didn't matter to her. In fact she had come to the conclusion that even if they never reached the mountains, died out here together, it would be worth it. They were free here even if here was a hellish desert . If she was going to die, she'd rather it be here in his arms than in some prison, a slave to some twisted overseers.

He seemed to sense this thought. "We aren't gonna die, not here."

With that thought, they continued onward. The night fell all too quickly and they camped on a sand dune out in the open. It wasn't safe but there were no other options. Rose made the Doctor rest, promising first watch. He slept fitfully, calling out to her and a few other names she would have to aske him about. The clouds floated past the moons casting shadows across the barren landscape. It was quiet, almost peaceful. It occurred to her that maybe it was so quiet because nothing could live out here. Maybe this was the last peace she'd know.

A howl sounded in the night and Rose shot up. She looked around and in the distance, she saw the cinnamon coloured lycan. "Look at you," she whispered. It stared back at her before slowly wandering away. It wasn't a coincidence. Rose knelt down and scooped up some sand and let it fall through her fingers. She looked up at the moons. "Reverend Mum, if you can hear me, I…I need your help." She looked at the Doctor and then back up at the lower of the two moons. "He's a good man, smart, caring, I think he could help all of us and…I love him."

She let out a breath and shakily continued. "I love him so much, as I've never felt before. Please help us find our way to the mountains." She paused, thinking about the last time she'd seen the Reverend Mother. "You said time was in flux around me, that I would face many temporal nexus points my life and that I should trust my heart. My heart says I must be with the Doctor, help him make things right but we can't do that unless we make it to the Mountains. Please, Reverend Mum, please help us. I promise I'll be a good and proper lady of Gallifrey if you give us a little hand."

Rose didn't know what she expected, some sign or miracle but there was only the sand and wind blowing across the desert as the moons disappeared and the suns arose the next morning. Of course, the Doctor was furious at her for not waking him but she didn't care. As they packed up to move on, the lycan appeared before them.

"Rose, don't move," the Doctor ordered.

Not one to blindly follow orders and having a feeling that the sign she was looking for was before her the whole time, Rose ignored him and took a few steps toward her friendly lycan.

"Rose," the Doctor hissed.

She looked over her shoulder at him. "I know this lycan. It's all right. In fact, I think…I think it's a sign. We need to follow it."

"What do you mean you know it?" he snapped. "What didn't you tell me?"

Rose rolled her eyes and recounted the whole story about her rendering aid and how the lycan reacted. He was cursing and muttering about her being a trouble magnet but in the end, couldn't deny the lycan had helped save them the other night. Then it was Rose's turn to snip at him for not telling her what happened while she slept. After mutual glares and complaints, they agreed that there was something at work. The lycan shouldn't be there much less be following them the way it was. Rose insisted they follow it and after a few rants, the Doctor finally agreed.

After several long days crossing sand dunes, taking frequent breaks, finding a sparse oasis amongst a rock outcropping and after one terrifying night watching a giant bat swoop down and devour a desert dragon, hope in the form of mountains appeared for them. They had been climbing another sand dune, their feet sinking and sliding in the deep sand as they climbed and when they reached the top and the purple mountains appeared majestically before them. They laughed, hugged and snogged each other. The Doctor slapped her on the arse and shouted, "Come on!"

One more day later and with much more enthusiasm and renewed spirits they arrived at the foot of the mountains. Rose had never been so relieved in her life. She looked up the incline to find the wolf slinking away into the greenery and she smiled. She whispered a thanks to the Reverend Mum as the Doctor's shadow fell over her.

"Gonna scout up a ways. You all right here?"

Rose nodded and then pointed to a tree that she'd rest beneath. It wasn't exactly lush but it offered a bit of a reprieve from the sun. She noted her skin was now a deep golden brown from exposure in the desert. She wrinkled her nose at herself and didn't want to think about what her hair must look like out of its braid. She looked out over the desert they crossed and that's when what they accomplished hit her. They escaped and survived. Her breath caught and her eyes teared up as she thought about how many times they could have died and how lucky or blessed they were. Looking out at that rust coloured sand and the unforgiving way the sun beat down, it was clear they'd done the impossible. A wet nose nudged her shoulder and she looked over to meet golden eyes of her lycan friend. Slowly, she reached a hand over to run it through the lycan's dusty fur.

"Thank you."

The lycan shook its head and raced off just as the Doctor skidded down the slope toward her. "There's an abandoned house up the way. We can shelter there."

Rose groaned as she stood up and leaned against the small tree. She winced as she hefted her pack up and cursed a bit as she took a step up the slope.

The Doctor grabbed her hand and hauled her up. "Oh, stop your moaning," he teased and leaned over. "It's got a well and, Rose Tyler, how would you like a real bath?"

"Bath?" Rose asked, perking up and feeling like everything good in the world waited for her up the hill. "What are we waiting for! Come on!" she said and started pulling him up the steep incline with a huge smile on her face.

The house was not so much a house as a small crumbling stone shed with a collapsing thatched roof. not that it mattered to Rose. She walked into the small sanctuary to find it had dusty stone floor, a rickety bed frame off to one side, an old steel tub on the other and a utilitarian food prep area. There was an outhouse in the back. Rose zeroed in on the steel tub and fell to her knees before it, resting her forehead on the rim and whispering sweet words to it.

The Doctor chuckled. "Let's get unpacked and then we'll see if we can arrange for my lady to have a bit of a soak."

Rose looked back at him with a tongue teasing grin. "The lady would be eternally grateful and might even offer to scrub the back of the brilliant lord who arranges said bath."

The Doctor's eyes sparkled and he started having thoughts of wet Rose in all her glory and he faded out a bit and missed anything else she said.

Rose laughed at the glazed look on his face. "Doctor!" she shouted whilst giggling.

He looked at her. "What? I was just working out our security for the night so we can both catch a kip," he defended.

"Sure you were," Rose answered, still smiling brightly. "Well you work on uh security and I'll get us set up here and see about tea.

The Doctor nodded and eyed the tub once more before stepping outside to survey the area. He really did need to make sure they were safe although his mind was definitely preoccupied with other things. As he set up a few primitive traps and warning signals if anything came at them in the night as well as lashed together some wood he gathered nearby for a makeshift door to their little cabin, he also was working out approximately where they were and how long they could stay here to rest and recover and they did need to rest. Even though he'd proclaimed to Rose they would make it, he hadn't been so sure and there had been a few nights he had looked down at her sleeping and he felt a slight panic clawing its way through him. But, then morning came and she looked at him with such trust and faith and how could he let her down?

This area wasn't densely forested by any means but it was better than the arid landscape they'd escaped from. Hunting wasn't bad either and he procured a few rabbits for dinner that night. After they both agreed at having the best meal of their lives, he set about filling the tub with water. There was no soap but Rose, clever girl that she was, found some local flowers and a particular root that when pulverized would serve as a good cleanser. Once he had the bath full with tepid water and then aimed his sonic at it to warm it up, Rose wasted no time. So excited and focused on bathing in an actual tub, she stripped in front of him without any hesitation.

He stood a little in awe as boots were tossed aside, leather trousers peeled off, leather corset plopped to the floor followed by tattered knickers. Dirty and sweaty or not, he memorized every luscious pale curve of her body, from the pale pink tip of her breasts to the dark golden curls between her thighs. The sonic hit the floor with a plink as she climbed into the water groaning in delight and began working at her braid.

"Doctor, can you give me a hand with this?" she asked as she struggled to untie and unbraid her hair.

His mouth went a little dry as he slowly made his way over to her. His fingers trailed down the braid until brushing her own hands working at unknotting it. She looked up at him and gasped. No man had ever looked at her the way he did. She swore his steely blue eyes had become darker and more intense as he gazed down at her. She flushed not from the water but at the want in his eyes and the way he licked his lips.

"Doctor," she said softly, her voice slightly hoarse.

"Let me help you with this," he responded in a deep voice. His fingers quickly and expertly unbraided her hair as she sat in the water, feeling the tips of his fingers brush her neck. When her hair was unbound and loose about her shoulders, she looked up at him, her own eyes dark with desire. 

She reached a hand up and ran it over his forearm. "Best make good use of this bath while it's still warm."

He swallowed hard and nodded. She shifted to the other side of the tub, her toe peeking out of the water and caressing the rim. "Well? Isn't gonna stay warm all night, Doctor, and it works a lot better without so many clothes," she suggested, a naughty sparkle in her eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There be smut here! Yes, this is the bath tub smut scene were our two beloved characters get a little nice reward for struggling and working to escape. I think they deserve it. I make no guarantees that the bath tub smut described here is entirely doable but hey it's AU and fantasy and it worked in my head ;) If smut is not your thing, let me know, and I can guide you around the more graphic bits. Thanks for reading and for all the lovely messages of encouragement!

The Doctor stood in the tiny stone shack gazing down at Rose partially submerged in the old iron tub and felt flushed with a heat that burned deep inside of him. She was so beautiful, teasing and seducing him. Not, that it was such a difficult task to seduce him. His feelings for her had deepened over the time they'd spent together, learning from each other, admiring her perseverance and strength not to mention her athletic body with curves in all the right places. He liked how fiery she could be and yet still emotional and compassionate. Nights spent cradling her or his body curved around hers had further confirmed his want and desire. Now, they were free to enjoy each other, free of that prison and prying eyes.

It had been years since he'd enjoyed the type of physical release he wanted with her and he felt his desire thick and heavy urging him on and yet, he didn't want to rush this. He licked his lips as he watched the water lap at her skin, the swell of her breasts just barely visible beneath the water. His leather breast plate fell to the floor with a thump, his eyes never leaving hers. His skin was sticky with sweat and dust from the desert, gritty and burnt from the sun. His trousers felt tight as he watched her dunk down once and pop back up giving him a tantalizing view of full breasts as she smoothed her hair back away from her face and looked over at him, her gaze like a caress as she examined his taut chest then drifted lower with keen interest before she glanced back up at his face, her face flushed and lips barely parted. It nearly drove him mad. She wanted him and he was going to indulge her desire with his own fiery want. With assured moves he reached down to pull off his boots and unlace his trousers to slowly peel the leather down his hips.

Rose could feel his eyes burning into her like blue fire. She had quickly dipped into the water, wetting her hair but didn't tarry too long. She wanted to watch him unwrap himself like a present for her. He tugged his boots off and tossed them aside. Like her, his lean body was tanned by the sun, his muscles more defined from little food and a rigorous time in the desert. There were a few scars criss crossing his chest. He had large hands with calloused fingers which now tugged at the bindings to his trousers. Rose had a few fantasies about those hands and what they'd feel like skimming her body or cradling a breast. She shivered as she watched him peel the tight trousers down his lean hips. He stood at the side of the tub, a tall and commanding presence, staring down at her in the water like some warrior god about to command his sea nymph to his pleasure.

Rose licked her lips and whispered his name, her eyes taking him in, including the evidence of his own arousal. They'd waited so long for this moment, constantly reigning in their desire to be together, holding back for the right time when they were no longer under the lascivious watch of guards or their captors. It didn't matter that they were in a falling down shack or in this old beat up metal tub. All they needed was each other.

He stepped into the tub sinking into the water opposite her, his feet sliding to either side of her hips, as she rested her chin on her knees. His knees were slightly bent as he fit his tall frame into the small tub, water sloshing back and forth between them. Rose couldn't help the smile that emerged on her face. She slid her own feet along the inside of his of his legs, enjoying the coarse feel of his hair along the pads of her toes.

"Rose," he growled out, leaving no mistake, he wasn't playing games. His hands ran up and down her calves.

Rose sat up, rising above the water, and reached to the side for the herbal soap paste she made to wash them. She shifted to her knees, steadying herself on the rim as she looked at his scruffy appearance from so many days in the desert with no time for ablutions. A slight smile lit her face. "As I recall, I promised a certain lord a back washing if he drew me a bath and it appears that I need to make good on that promise," she said, wrapping her lips around the words in a provocative manner as she knelt before him, water droplets clinging to her breasts which where a tantalizing distance to his mouth.

His eyes were rather focused on a droplet of water that had slowly slid down from her neck and now clung to a pink hardened nipple. Finally he looked back up to her noticing a certain tongue teasing smile that had driven him made for months.

"Well then," he said in a deep voice. "A lady should keep her word. Course, bath tub's a dangerous place. Wouldn't want you to slip and hurt yourself. Might need to hold you steady."

The thought of his hands holding her or sliding across her body made her catch her breath and heat pool low inside of her. "Yeah," she said breathily. It'd be a real shame if I slipped. Better get a good grip. I might have some…vigorous back scrubbing to do."

"Like a good vigorous back scrubbing, me."

He slid his hands up her body, his thumbs caressing her erotically under her breasts. She rubbed the soap between her hands, reached over, her eyes gazing into his and began rubbing the soap across his shoulders sliding down his arms and back up. She leaned in to reach behind him, her fingers massaging the back of his neck as she felt his slightly scruffy cheek against the swell of her breast. She bit her lip trying not to moan until she felt him pull her forward and his mouth envelop her nipple, his teeth just barely grazing her and his hands sliding down to squeeze her arse as she leaned into him further.

Her lips grazed the shell of his ear and her hot breath against that sensitive area seemed to encourage him. He groaned her name as her thighs slipped over his seating her intimately against his thick hardness. Bathing was lost to the sensation of them, skin to skin moving against each other as the water lapped at their bodies. She moved her hands up and down his back, her nails grazing him as she began to move her hips against him seeking friction. She rubbed her check against his overgrow hair still with a slight tang of the desert in it and eventually cupped water up to began massaging his scalp as his clever tongue stoked her desire for him and made her mind delve into the realm of possibilities of where she next wanted his tongue to explore.

He scooped up some of the herbal scented soap and glided his hand up and down her back in erotic circles. One of his hands ventured upward and tangled in her long wet hair whilst the other ran across her pert bottom in a way Rose had fantasized about. After laving her breasts and nuzzling between them whispering ancient musical words promising her his devotion to her pleasure, he tugged her head back.

"No more waiting," he promised, a fierce look on his face as he gazed into her eyes.

"No more waiting," she replied, her voice throaty and she leaned and pressed her mouth against his as he held her firmly to him. It was unlike any other kiss between them. He was hungry but not forceful, sucking at her bottom lip, savouring her in a way she had never known. Certainly Rose had kissed other men and one rather adventurous woman, but they had been sloppy, inexperienced or hurried. None had made her feel as if each pass of their lips and flick of their tongues was cherished. Rose groaned, as she shifted and angled her mouth looking to taste more of him, her tongue darting past his eager lips, accidentally bumping her nose against his in her haste to taste him. He groaned and pulled back angling her body so that his hardness slipped into her folds. Rose groaned a _yes_ and the slide of tongues and nibbling of lips became more vigorous and passionate. She began grinding her hips against him her thighs wrapping around his hips securing herself around him.

As he trailed kisses down her cheek seeking that sweet area between her clavicle and neck, she reached down between them and her fingers encircled the base of his shaft caressing him and guiding him so he rubbed her where she wanted most and could feel how wet she was that had nothing to do with the bath water.

Rose swore she felt a rumble of a growl against her neck as he nipped at a particularly sensitive spot and she thrust her hips forward in response.

"Doctor," she gasped and slid her arms around him, digging her nails into his shoulders. "Need you now!"

The Doctor nipped and sucked at her hard, wanting to mark her, feeling a burning need to join with her in a way his people had centuries ago. He tried to reign in the fiery desire he had to lift her up and slam her against the closest solid surface sliding not just his body but his mind into hers. He didn't want that for the first time they came together. Something inside of him knew that Rose needed this first time to be on her terms so she wasn't overwhelmed or felt like she was a possession. She had experienced too much of that during her life, being a commodity to be traded off to another house in some marriage contract.

She was more than that to him and he intended on showing her. Rose was his partner and equal in every sense and sex was no exception. She had initiated this and he was giving her leeway to control it. Of course, that didn't' mean he wouldn't push the boundaries of their passion. This was their relationship, both testing each other, pushing and pulling and that included this burning desire they shared and he did burn for her, his Rose.

He slid a hand between them and slid his thumb around her sensitive bud, making her squirm and rock into his hand. He groaned as she rubbed against him. He was so hard for her and didn't know how much longer he could last with her so close to him, whimpering and moaning his name.

"Rose," he groaned again as she arched up, her eyes shut and she bit her lip as his fingers continued caressing her throbbing core. He shifted in the tub and gripped her hips easing her back so he was at her entrance. She opened her eyes and looked at him. All he saw was a goddess with golden embers in her eyes reflecting her desire for him.

"My Doctor," she murmured in a husky voice. She gripped his shoulders and slid onto him feeling her herself stretch around him and her eyes shut tight as she immersed herself in the feel of him. The Doctor gripped her hips hard enough to bruise as he struggled to hold back as he was sheathed in her heat. After feeling his body tense and struggling to maintain his control, he looked at Rose only to find her biting her lip as she tentatively rocked against him. He squeezed her hips in response as he growled out her name as if it were the answer to everything.

Rose slowly began rocking her hips, her hands gripping his shoulder. With heavily lidded eyes she increased her tempo the water in the bath tub beginning to slosh up the sides as she and the Doctor moved in tandem with him bucking his hips upward to meet her movements. His one hand slipped upward to cradle her breast, his calloused fingers dancing across to her nipple, teasing her in a way she'd thought about in sex addled day dreams. She cursed and increased her tempo, her breasts bouncing to match her movements as he grunted his own pleasure, his hand drifting low across her belly until tangling in her curls. Again he teased her damp and sensitive flesh.

Rose was on fire but still wanted more. She leaned down toward him, realigning him so he thrust into her as she road him, hitting her just so. The friction, his thickness sliding in and out of her, touching her in just the right spot had her calling out to him that she was so close. It drove him over the edge, wanting more, needing more. He was throbbing in his need for her, pressing hard on her clit with one hand while gripping her hip with the other. Rose reached toward the edge of the tub for balance and slammed into him her head dipping down to touch his forehead. One final thrust of her hips and a magnificent jerk of his own had Rose screaming at the explosion of heat and spasms shooting pleasure up her spine as he spilled himself into her, their movements literally bounced the tub, sloshing water everywhere.

As she caught her breath, she fell forward against his shoulder, her heart slamming in her chest as he softened within her. His arms encircled her and he murmured words of love into her shoulder. He slipped out of her and shifted her until she was curled up in his lap, her head resting on his shoulder and he lay back relaxed and happier than he had been in years if not a century.

His mind called out to her in a sublime state hoping she was equally content. She smiled into his shoulder and whispered, "Mmmm, yes, happier than I've ever been."

The Doctor's eyes flashed open. He hadn't said that out loud, only thought it. He swallowed hard as he considered the significance. His brow furrowed. He hadn't issues any type of telepathic connection with her and she'd never… He turned to her and she opened her eyes to look at him.

"The waters' getting cold and not exactly as nice as it was. Not sure if I'm up for round two in cold, dirty water. Course, I suppose you could persuade me," she said in a sleepy voice as she nuzzled into his neck, her fingers tracing some old scars on his chest.

"Think we can move this elsewhere," he responded, glad he'd put together their packs and blankets on the old bed rack before filling the tub with water. First, he had to test something. He thought about the bed and how much he enjoyed watching her breasts bounce.

She sat up, arched her brow and giggled. She cradled her own breasts and looked down at them. "Didn't think they were all that but whatever makes my lord happy as long as we can enjoy a little oral stimulation along with it," she teased.

Ignoring her blatant sexual innuendo he sat up on his knees sloshing water in the tub and looked at her. "Rose, you heard me!" he exclaimed.

She dropped her hands down to her side and leaned against the side of the tub. "Well yeah, I'm right here and not entirely opposed to more, you know, sexy times with you."

"That's not what I mean and not that I don't want more sex with you. Trust me, it's been awhile and you're all…"

"What?" Rose asked with a flirtatious smile.

"Rose," he answered looking at her with a twinkle in his eyes. "And that's a definition in itself. You're not like some stuffy Gallifreyan lady."

"She shot him a look demanding he elaborate."

He rolled his eyes and shifted over closer to her and tipped her face close to his with one of his fingers. "I meant, you're not just pedigreed and pretty face. You're strong, brave, loyal, passionate about what you believe is right and you stand your ground and fight for your beliefs." He cleared his throat at her warm look and the soft kiss that followed it. "Now then, as I was saying, you heard me. I thought to you and you heard me, telepathically. You've never done that before."

Rose stilled, now beginning to understand the significance. "How? I mean sex shouldn't do that…not for me ever before."

"Nor me, well not without some doing, but then this is a different world now. People have been mucking about with the history and time lines. I'm from a different time, been part of a complicated event in time and space."

"Yeah, but I'm not," Rose reminded him.

"No, but you're from a House of Gallifrey that I've not heard of, something new created out of time manipulations. You told me you were educated by a Reverend Mother of the Pythia. That's unusual and then you got tossed in with me." His mind began whirling with possibilities and then he looked at her, how her time line was so woven with his. It was never easy for him to see his own time, things were blurred and it hurt to look at it and he couldn't see very far. One thing was clear though, she was part of his future and he a part o hers, now more than ever. There was also a feeling of something big on the horizon tied to both of them. He couldn't see it but he felt it like slight tremors warning of a time quake. He'd only felt this one other time and that was before everything changed.

He and Rose were part of this. Their coming together was significant and he felt them being bound together, in more ways than just time lines. Each moment they spent, grew closer, they grew stronger in ways he didn't' understand.

Rose leaned over and softly kissed his chest, her pink tongue darting out to taste him as she continued kissing him, paying particular attention to his nipple.

He smiled as he looked down at her and she paused looking up at him. "There are better things we could be doing other than sitting in cold bath water getting pruny."

"Who's pruny?" he teased and reached to pull her up as he stood, sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her out of the tub and laying her on their make shift bed.

"But I'm all wet," she giggled.

"Mmmm not yet but you will be," he promised with a naughty glint before joining her on a bed that would get quite a work out that night. Neither of them cared they were half bathed, lying on old scratchy blankets in an old makeshift bed that squeaked as they vigorously enjoyed each other; or that they were presently in an old run down shack in the middle of nowhere. All they knew was they were together and free from observation by their captors and in a somewhat safe location. This was them fulfilling their longing for each other with caresses, tangled limbs, whispered filthy promises, gasps, nips and long languid snogs. More than once they whispered each other's names or murmured their love for one another. Neither of them thought of the future or heard the call of the lycans howling almost in unison to their passion.

It wasn't until the next morning that reality set in. This was not the end of their journey and they still had a long way to go. Rose was all too aware of this. As they worked together to clean up, him sonicing his face clean of the scruff she'd enjoyed the previous night, dressing and preparing breakfast, she couldn't stop thinking about the two of them, where they'd come from and where they were going.

As she organized their packs and pulled out roots and berries they might need, she thought about what had happened between she and the Doctor. She knew that no matter what lay ahead, she wanted to face it with him. A smile spontaneously emerged on her face as she felt a warmth envelop her and looked over at him as he grilled some meat and shot her a knowing smile. He had been right, something had blossomed between them after their night together. It wasn't like words popping in her head, more like feelings, ideas or in one rather erotic case, a picture. It didn't feel invasive or like she had been violated. Quite the opposite, she felt warm, safe and together with him in a way that left her in a very serene and peaceful state.

Despite that, she still had a slight nagging feeling at the bad of her mind as if she was forgetting something. She certainly hadn't forgotten the threat of their captors and part of her was concerned that whoever they were had kept an eye on them and had tried to punish them for violating the sick games in the Death Zone. Did their captors think them lost in the desert? Perhaps they assumed they died of exposure? Or, were they hunting them even now? That last thought marred the peace and freedom they had found in this place.

It wasn't just their captors that she thought about. What about who had put her in that prison? She had put some thought into this whilst locked away in that prison cell. Her conclusion was politics. Perhaps someone wasn't happy about her family's ascendance as head house. What she wasn't sure of was how kidnapping her and sending her away would help their cause? Rose supposed if there was a ransom involved, a way to manipulate her father into agreeing to something that someone wanted it might work. The only other thought was revenge. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility that someone wanted to hurt her family by taking her. Rose had spent a lot of time trying not to think about how her parents reacted to her disappearance. Instead she had focused on surviving and escaping but she didn't have that distraction anymore.

The Doctor could sense Rose's tumultuous emotions and finished up making breakfast. After their night together, he didn't doubt she was feeling a bit stirred up. He knew he was. He loved her and all of the feelings of wanting to protect her, keep her safe and stop whatever was happening to Gallifrey and provide her with a safe home had intensified. There was a leashed violence he was making a supreme effort to tamp down so as not to frighten her. He was positive she wasn't aware the extent he would go to in order to keep her safe.

Bits and pieces of her thoughts about their captors, who had sent her away and her family whispered through his mind. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her.

"I know you're worried and we still have so much ahead of us but you can't let it overwhelm you."

She smiled and leaned into him, her head resting on his bare chest. "I know, it's just all sort of hit me. Before, it was all about getting out. Now, it's us getting to the city, my family and dealing with people that we don't' even know who they are, only that they want to stop us or worse." She pulled away and turned around looking into his eyes more serious now.

"It's not just about me though. Yeah, there are people who may not be happy if I show up and tell everyone about that awful place, but how many people are going to be miffed at you? You're more important than me. You told me they manipulated our planet's past and future. You were there. I know you don't want to talk about it and you've told me some of it but Doctor, we have to talk about how you ended up in that prison and who's gonna be after you."

He looked at her and turned away, pacing a few steps. She was right. This wasn't just about them escaping or her family. This was about fixing a massive temporal wound he felt festering and barely being kept from tearing apart all of Gallifrewy. It was about stopping people from trying to control everything and whether or not he liked it, he was going to have to face his past actions and how he may have inadvertently helped cause some of what was happening at that very moment. He turned back to her.

"You're right and you need to know the truth but the truth, it's not an easy thing, especially not where time manipulation is involved." He paced over to a boarded up window and looked outside. The lycan was there staring back at him like a physical reminder that he could not run from this and Rose deserved to know everything. He turned back to her. "Rose, if I tell you this, it might change how you feel…"

Rose felt his fear and pain and raced up to him, her hands grasping his in emphasis to the emotions she was feeling, her need to support him. "No, it won't. Doctor, I love you," she said emotionally, her eyes tearing up. "No matter what happened in the past or what we have to do next, that's not gonna change."

"Even if it unmakes your own House? Even if some of this was my fault."

"You act like I only love you 'cos I think you're some perfect specimen of a Gallifreyan lord. Well, you're not so get over it. You're just as flawed as the next man. Maybe you're a little braver, you care a bit more and are a bit fit…" she said and eyed him up a down, a satisfied female smile on her face. "But that doesn't' make you without imperfections. You're a bit bossy, think you're right all the time and all too often try and shove me out of the way or think you can order me about. You don't' always make the best decisions either."

"Thanks," he said with a touch of sarcasm. "I feel so much better."

Rose rolled her eyes. "The point is you daft man, I still love you. The world could come to an end and you could be holding the key to its destruction and I would still love you and stand by your side as it crumbled around us."

He had an incredulous look on his face and Rose couldn't help but tease him. "Not that I wouldn't try and stop you or help you fix it, but the point is, this is me promising you my forever no matter what so just stop your moaning and tell me the truth. It's past time we talked about this thing that haunts your nightmares and is hanging over us."

He walked over and hugged her, pressing his face into her hair and inhaling. Maybe he could do this, confess his sins to her. He expected no absolution but maybe just telling her would help him work things out. His Rose was clever and compassionate. They survived the prison, the death zone and trek through the desert and they would survive this. He pulled back again.

"All right. Let's eat and pack up. We can talk while we hike up this mountain. It's not safe to stay around her too long and this story, it's gonna take a while to explain.

Rose nodded her head as he turned and walked back to finish plating their food. She'd accept that for now but he was going to talk to her. No more deflections or sad looks. A steely determination filled her as if the Reverend Mum was there with her, shoring her up and reminding her that they had much more to face and to do that, they needed to be honest and there was no more time for things left unsaid, misunderstandings or guilt.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone for your patience :) Oh this chapter! It was kind of complicated and has been edited many many times. Big hugs to whoinwhoville who read it over and asked good questions to help make it better. I edited a lot after she looked at it and I think I added 700 words. Oops! I am stepping away from the chapter now as I am afraid I have already over edited it. There's a lot of background in this chapter so I hope it makes sense. Thanks again for reading!

One would think leaving an old dilapidated shack in the middle of no where would be an easy thing, that the rustic setting and lack of luxuries would spur one on to seek better accommodations. However, when one had just escaped the terror of the Death Zone and being pursued by those with malevolent intents, and having enjoyed a well deserved night of passion with the person who was the centre of everything, perspectives changed. Rose stood at the edge of the tree line, smiling softly, as she looked back at the old stone structure. She didn't see it as crumbling and collapsing. This was where she affirmed and consummated her love with the Doctor. It would always have a special place embedded deep within her heart.

"Rose?" the Doctor said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned smiling at him, a light in her eyes shining with love, a new intimacy and bond they shared. They still only had the clothes they escaped in, him in his leather trousers and leather breast plate, her in similar attire along with a brown leather corset and worn long coat. Her hair was cleaned and plaited again, much to the Doctor's amusement as he had playfully tugged at it a few times with a wicked look in his eyes. They had laughed and shoved at each other at complete ease despite their still dire situation.

But, it was time to move on. They were still on the run and needed to find their way back to the main city and Rose's family. Not to mention, there was a little matter of temporal manipulation and people kidnapping sentient beings out of time and space to fight and kill for the pleasure of those haughty and pompous Gallifreyans who believed they controlled all. It was dangerous and the Doctor had been there at the beginning. He understood what was done and how his part may have formed the reality that now existed.

A scuffling sound caught their attention. Rose and the Doctor looked into the woods to find the golden eyes of the Lycan glaring back at them. It shook its head and took off into the woods.

"Guess that's our cue," Rose commented.

"We've got a long way ahead of us and need to keep moving." The Doctor looked in the direction the desert was. "Don't know if we're being hunted but it's best to assume they'll figure out we survived our little desert stroll."

Rose nodded. "Yeah, I got a feeling it's not over yet." She looked toward the forest. "And we don't know what's ahead of us."

The Doctor grasped her hand and squeezed reassuringly. "We make our own future from here on out. I'm done lettin' anyone else manipulate things. Now come on, we can make a good distance before sundown and we'll need to find shelter again."

The Doctor had plotted them a course that took them higher into the mountains. They trudged forward, climbing upward, their packs heavy on their backs as they made their way deeper into the wooded mountainside. As they climbed higher, the landscape changed around them from the sparsely wooded and scrub terrain where they had found the old stone building, to a dense forest. This forest was unlike the scarlet meadows and silver leafed tree lined areas near Rose's home. These trees were old, with thick dark brown trunks, golden and orange pine needled evergreens mixed with a few large yellow and orange leafed trees created a golden canopy above them, shading them from the heat of the twin suns.

The ground was spongy with fallen pine needles and leaves and studded with mineral rich rocks that when struck by the sunlight, sparkled like diamonds. The air was fresh and carried the scent of the evergreens. Rose took it all in, finding the beauty of this place a welcome change to the harsh realities of the desert. She trudged beside the Doctor waiting for him to begin telling her more about his past. He had promised to reveal what had happened to him and his family.

He remained silent though, lost in his own thoughts, venturing deeper into his own guilt. The Doctor knew Rose was waiting for him to narrate the tale of this past and part of him wanted to tell her, confess his fears, anguish and memories of another time, a time when he was a different man, one with ideals and integrity. Where did he begin? He had revealed some things and knew she might have seen glimpses from his fevered nightmares whilst caring for him.

Part of his reticence was fear. She was a part of him now, her mind and essence tangled up with his own. That soft warm glow of her was in his mind now and how she had nestled herself inside of him had been a surprise and he revelled in it. He had been alone for so long and she gave him hope and love, something he never thought he'd have. Losing her respect or love was something he couldn't fathom. He feared revealing the truth would cause her to pull away.

It wasn't just that. He didn't really want to face his past actions even if they were at the direction of his family and in attempt to stop those who wanted to manipulate time to their favour. Then, there was the ever present danger hovering over them. If he spoke of these things, these past transgressions, would it draw those same power mad people to them and how much more danger would he put Rose in with this information?

They hiked up steep inclines, climbing over rocks, sweat slicking their bodies in the dry heat. Rose could feel the tension rolling off of him. She concluded he was, once again, internalizing his worries and pain in an attempt to protect her. It was annoying. By mid afternoon, they'd covered quite a bit of territory and were deep into the mountains. They hadn't seen anyone but luckily, they'd run across prolific wildlife and ample edible vegetation. When they heard water running, they followed it to its source and paused to fill up their water skins. Rose decided that his brooding silence had gone on long enough.

As they sat near some boulders adjacent to the spring set amongst the tall evergreens, Rose turned to him. "You know, when you said you'd tell me about your past, I sort of expected you to talk a long the way, not be all mopey and sulky while silently deciding it was too terrible to tell me," she commented.

"You don't understand," he snapped as he focused on the crystal clear pool of water before them.

Rose slammed her water container down. "So explain it to me! You said you would tell me while we hiked in the mountains so spill already!"

He shot her an aggravated look. "Fine, you want you to hear all the ugly truth, the lies, the manipulations, what this world used to be and what it's turned into now! You wanna know everything you know and believe is false, someone else's lie, how even you shouldn't exist? Then get comfy!"

Rose sat back against a rock, crossing her arms in front of her and looking at him defiantly, showing no fear. The Doctor felt some of his anger and frustrations ebb. He should have expected this, her to pick and poke until he told her everything and how could he deny her now? Especially, when she looked at him with such fiery determination in her eyes. She was probably the only one in existence that could make him both aggravated and love her all at the same time.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair which was longer now than his typical short crop style. He looked across through forest and swore he saw a flash of the golden fur of the Lycan. He turned to Rose to find her stance had softened slightly.

He inhaled and gathered his courage. "It started well…I don't rightly know. This time manipulation, it changed things, how things happened, when things happened."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked, and scooted over next to him.

"They were re-writing the past, erasing people and events, mixing things up. What I remember, it may not exist. You're proof of that."

Rose bit her lip and looked down into her lap before grasping his hand, lacing her fingers through his and gazing into his eyes. "Tell me what you do know and we'll figure out the rest together."

He was overcome by her warmth and compassion. Tears pricked in his eyes as she gently encouraged him and the memories flowed…

"Once…once Gallifrey was a great world, embedded with properties that made species that developed here time sensitive and more in tune with the universe. Back then, it wasn't just us, Gallifreyans. There were other species too, maybe not as developed or sentient but they lived and time flowed through them. They sang with it. But, not all Gallifreyans saw it that way. We were a bit self important lot, thought we were superior, and fought for dominance.

"We were fierce warriors, cunning, determined and brutal on occasion. Later on, they'd call these the Dark Times." The Doctor snorted. "If only they'd seen this, what you and me went through. Might change their minds."

"Right, the Reverend Mum, she told me a little of this although she didn't talk about anything else other than Gallifreyans..." Rose paused in thought over this and wondered if this was one of the changes. Did those in control erase any other species that had temporal abilities? She continued. "The Reverend Mum said the Sisters of Pythia evolved and brought order when tribes and families fought for dominance."

The Doctor nodded. "The Pythia were all women, a religious order of sorts. They possessed strong psychic powers and tapped into their time senses better than anyone. It gave them the ability to sort of see the future. Gallifreyans respected that, feared it too. But, like any group in power, they took it one step too far and people revolted. There's always gonna be someone else out there that wants to take that power for themselves, not that they'd be any better and really they weren't and that's were the history of Gallifrey gets a bit bloody and when things started to change."

Rose looked down lost in thought. "They hunted down the sisterhood, disbanded them, and arrested the ones they said abused their authority. The Reverend Mum said they…" Rose paused remembering the horrifying tale. "They injured them so they couldn't use the um psychic bit in their brains. Some died, some killed themselves rather than live that way and others ran away, hid until there was no more Sisterhood, and they weren't considered a threat."

The Doctor watched as Rose revealed this monstrous tale to him, squeezing her hand and wanting nothing more than to pull her into his arms and hold her, make love to her and erase any terrifying thoughts from her mind. But, he couldn't do that. There was still too much to discuss.

"No one else knows that do they, Rose?" he asked, the sunlight twinkling on the water near them in contrast to the horrible tale she shared with him...

She shook her head. "At the Academy, the details of the past are forbidden. We were told we should be thankful for what we have and the sacrifice of the ancient lords and ladies who built our civilization and what we enjoy today."

"But you didn't like that," the Doctor said with pride.

Rose smiled softly. "Um, I might have been a bit annoying at school. The teachers at the Prydonian Academy, they liked to lecture that…" She put on best disdainful voice. "Impertinent young ladies should appreciate that those with far more insight and experience from Gallifrey's Dark Times enacted such wise rules for the good of our culture." She rolled her eyes. "I might not have been the best student but, the Reverend Mum, she wasn't afraid to answer the hard questions, even about her own Sisterhood."

He smiled at her. "Good on you! Always demand the truth, especially when they tell you, you don't need to know where the stodgy rules come from and tell you to be an obedient little lady."

Rose grinned showing just naughty bit of tongue. "Not much for obedience, me."

"Don't I know it!" he teased, his eyes lightening at their banter. Rose shoved his shoulder and he chuckled, his smile eventually fading. "Course, this is a lot more than stodgy teachers trying to control their students, keep them in line and not ask questions. That's just the tip of the bigger problem, of those who want to control everyone. They don't want you thinking about anything other than what they tell you."

Rose's smile faded and she leaned into his side, encouraging him to tell the rest of what happened to him.

"Right, so Gallifrey is a nexus of temporal energy. It gathers and flows through our world stronger than most places in the universe and thus we have a temporal sensitive species. The Sisterhood makes use of it but then they get chased off and murdered by others who also feel the pull of time and then things change, we got more dangerous, clever, learned what we could do and how we could use it to secure our place in the universe."

"Yeah, that much I got, Rassilon, Omega and a group of really pompous and important people created the Houses of Gallifrey, organized our people, taught us how to focus on our talents, set up the Academy and all that," Rose added.

The Doctor looked at her and paused. "That what they tell you? Not exactly they way I remember it but like I said, they mucked about." A shadow passed across him and then he shook it off and continued. "So Pythia gone and everyone settled into a new organized structure. Families formed cohesive groups, resolved their differences, blood being thicker and such. They focused on making themselves, better and stronger, making Gallifrey…"

"The shining world of the seven systems," Rose parroted. "Yeah, we learned that in school but when did everything change?. I mean I know you said you don't remember Rassilon and his lot taking over but was that it, when everything changed?"

The Doctor looked at her with a serious expression, his eyes boring into hers looking for something. Finally, he spoke. "It was part of it. It took more than one thing to alter the coarse of our people. Like I said, it's difficult to pin down which points with altered or erased with as much as they've changed. They could have altered thousands of almost insignificant points that caused a cascading effect," he said almost lost in thought.

He blinked and looked back at her. "Now then, Not long after they established the Houses of Gallifrey, things were moving along nicely. Enough time had passed for petty rivalries between Houses to develop and fester. The intention was for checks and balances but deep down, we were still not far enough away from our primitive roots. That instinct to dominate, it was still there only now we had tapped into our temporal senses, learned how much power and potential we had."

Rose's grip on him tightened as he paused and took a moment just to breath. Tension and despair rolled off of him and Rose wanted nothing more to wrap him up in her arms and protect him from these painful memories but she knew this was important. He had to do this, tell someone, relieve himself as the sole bearer of this burden he carried.

"It started off as little things. Most people wouldn't notice. Some Gallifreyans were more sensitive to time than others. Many dismissed that annoying little tickle that something was wrong. Soon, that little tickle became a twinge. Some of us spoke out, tried to get the rest to pay attention but we were dismissed as rebels, trouble makers, people to be swept aside, ignored or who eventually disappeared. Me, I was always a bit of renegade. I never was comfortable with just keeping to Gallifrey, pretending we were so high and mighty that the rest of the universe wasn't good enough to sweep our floors. There was so much more out there, so much more we could learn and maybe even help others but the Council didn't see it that way. Neither, did my family."

Rose cuddled up to his side, never letting go of his hand. He smiled down at her appreciating her presence both physically and deep in his mind, encouraging him to keep going.

"My family was one of the oldest, House Tardis could trace their roots back to the beginning. We were fierce, fought hard for our place. We were also one of the families with the strongest time sense. Legend was that our great home, one of the oldest structures on Gallifrey, was built of a stone that resonated with it further enhancing our abilities. When things went wrong, I could feel it like a shrieking, grating noise echoing in my head."

"But the rest of your family ignored it?" Rose asked confused.

The Doctor's face darkened. "Some knew and ignored it. At least they did, until it was too late. Then, they realized they should have listened to me." He paused and ran his fingers through his short hair before staring forward as if looking back at the past. "When the head of my house, my great grandfather, realized how true it was, he knew it was almost too late and made plans to stop the ones behind the temporal manipulation. He knew our family would soon be lost, that scheming eyes were directed at us. And that…that was my fault," he ended with a broken voice, his head turning downward.

"No, I don't believe that," Rose said softly and with encouragement, her body leaning intimately into his.

He straightened and jumped up, a darkness, guilt and anger reflected in his eyes. "You should!" he shouted and began pacing, clearly agitated and suffering. "I was the one sounding the alarm about things gone wrong, making accusations and trying to force people to see it! In my stupid altruistic efforts to try and save everyone I might as well as killed my own family! That's what happened, Rose. I killed them! All eyes turned to me, my family and they used that power to erase them, all of them lost as if they'd never been born, lived, existed! It's gone, it's all gone, all of them…except me," he finished breathing hard and his shoulders slumped, broken.

There was a shift in the atmosphere, the wind beginning to swirl and the temperature and humidity changed. The clouds moved swiftly over head as the Doctor revealed more of his story. It was as if the very air became charged as he spoke.

"Oh Rose, I tried to warn them and stop it. It nearly drove me mad. I felt the reverberations, shifting time lines, that something was off with our history; felt time warping, things and people missing. I couldn't put my finger on it right away but I knew. Without proof, no one would listen except those that were behind it."

His voice changed from the devastation at the loss of his house back to his rage at those who had committed the atrocities. He paced. "I may not have known at the beginning exactly what they did or had the proof but I calculated a few vulnerable points in the timeline they would have targeted. They were ruthless, erasing anyone who could stop them or stood in their way, paving the way to make their families more powerful. Power Rose, this was all about power."

Rose stood up, contemplating all that he said. She was not convinced he was at fault as he insisted. In fact, she saw him as the hero in this if they could get to her home, her father and explain it to him. Her father was a reasonable man and meeting the Doctor, seeing the evidence of who he was, about his House, the legend proven true and combined with what had happened to her, he would take action. Rose looked at the Doctor, his head in his hands, suffering through his memories.

"Your memories of that time when the Pythia fell are different than what I was taught so it had to have started then, right? Is that how they overthrew the Sisters? They went back in time and changed things up. Made sure the Pythia were out of the way, killed off the forefathers of certain Houses so they never form or become adversaries competing for power. It's like you said, they pick and chose the moments during the fall of the Pythia when everything was in chaos. That's part of it, isn't it.?" Rose asked.

He turned and looked at her and a sad smile lit his face. "Clever Rose."

Her brow furrowed as she paced in front of him, kicking a few rocks out of the way, the serenity of the forest and bubbling spring nearby lost as she contemplated what he'd told her thus far. She then turned to him. "So you felt changes, something in time that felt wrong and suspected this group was setting themselves up to sort of rule the world and all without anyone knowing, but how? How'd they do this? I don't know of anything capable of that."

His face darkened. "There are things from the Dark Times, of the time of the Pythia and earlier, legends of what some of our earlier ancestors may have been and done. Some found evidence of another time when primitive us may have had a bit more common with modern Gallifreyans, at least as far as time sense and abilities."

"But…wait a minute!" Rose interrupted, shaking her head, irritated slightly by what he'd said which contradicted his explanation of how Gallifreyans evolved. "You said…"

"I said that our ancestors were fierce warriors, fighting to dominate and the Pythia helped sort them out, tapping into temporal energy to put themselves in power. It wasn't that they didn't have the same abilities as the Pythia, they just weren't concerned about it, being more focused on the fighting and ruling parts. We all have the ability, just in different strengths. The Pythia weren't accidents you know. They had to figure it out and something had to give 'em a hint. Maybe they found something, found others who had learned how to tap into temporal senses, and maybe those somebodies found out the hard way it was dangerous and buried it, walked away before it destroyed them."

Rose stared at him as the full impact of what he said hit her square in the gut. "This has happened before," she said slowly and then looked him in the eyes. "In the beginning, when our people began to develop, they figured it out and something bad happened, yeah?"

He nodded. "That was a theory. No real records only…a few objects were found, all markings scratched off of them. And those few quickly disappeared with people saying they were in some archive. Only, they weren't. Families hoarded them. My family was one of them."

Rose stepped forward, her eyes large and she felt a shiver down her spine. "You said primitive but they weren't."

"Primitive to us, at first. You have to realize, in the Dark Times and earlier, technology wouldn't be what it was today. People lived in stone huts, not unlike the one we spent the night in. They were simple times and yet, they had access to something pure, unfettered and dangerous. I told you my home was built of a stone that resonated with temporal energy. Imagine our ancestors finding that stone, feeling it, knowing it was something greater and using it to muck about with this temporal energy. Nothing complicated. Just them and natural resources and few primitive tools but the results…Rose they weren't ready for it and knew that. We still aren't. They knew it was too much and buried them away. At least, until we came and dug them up. Stupid arrogant lords and ladies, thinking they knew better!"

"So someone has one or more of these things and figured out how to use them to change how we evolved, our history?"

"Yes," he answered simply, his tone indicating that it really wasn't. "The thing of it is, these things, artefacts or devices, whatever you want to call them, they're unstable. Time is…" he paused and pace. "It's flowing all around us like a great raging river. Try and stop it, dam it up and you get flooding, tributaries leaking off, and finding away to get around the impediment. You keep damming it but you can't win because the water finds weaknesses in the soil and the structure until it wears it down, finds the cracks and the dam breaks. Time, Rose, it's not this stable thing, it can't be restricted or constrained."

"So what they did or attempted wasn't stable," Rose acknowledged and it began to seep deep into her exactly what this meant. She stilled, wrapping her arms around herself and looked at him. "There were consequences to using it."

"Consequences," he snorted. "Yeah, you could say that."

"Was I…my family, were we consequences? You said my House didn't exist in your time, before time was changed."

He turned and walked toward her, his hands cupping her face. "Don't you ever think that. You are so much more than some accident or part of someone's plan to dominate Gallifrey. They may have created new family lines, new Houses, weaker or more malleable ones to replace older, stronger families, but they couldn't control it. They couldn't make everyone their puppets. I'll wager that they never saw you coming, so strong, smart and not willing to be their docile little play thing. No Rose, you are better that. Maybe, you're even time's way of rebelling and setting things right."

"But you don't know that," she said, concern and doubt clouding her eyes. "What you're saying, it means it's all a lie. This world and everything in it. If it gets fixed, do we all just disappear and are forgotten? Our lives, do they even mean anything?" she asked in a shaky voice.

He turned away, pacing as her words cut him to the core as the names and faces of others who were now erased flashed in his mind. He stopped, resolved and turned to her. "No! No one's disappearing!" he said firmly, a steely look in his eyes. "I'm not losing anyone else. We'll…we'll find another way," he said but he didn't sound confident.

The weight of it bore down on him and his hands clenched as the complexity of the task ahead mixed with the anguish of his past. He looked skyward as if seeking answers, oblivious to the clouds gathering in the sky like a sign of his inner turmoil. Finally, his shoulders slumped and he looked over at her, aggravation vanished and sadness permeating the very air around him. He gazed at her, drinking her in and she could see the fear in his eyes, the fear of losing her, someone he loved…again.

They stared at each as the twin suns were engulfed by massive dark clouds and an icy breeze whispered through the trees chilling the two of them in a physical manifestation of the horrifying realities they faced.

Rose took a deep breath. This wasn't about her, not really. This was about the Doctor's story and he hadn't finished revealing it and he needed to. She cleared her throat and pulled her coat around her against the wind. "So, um, time was unstable and there were consequences. Did you…know who was doing it and how to stop them?"

Her words seemed to shake him out of whatever fear or despair was clutching at him. He tensed and Rose watched him move back and forth like a caged animal, gesturing with his hands to work off some of the nervous and angry adrenalin in his system.

"No, I don't know who exactly although I have a good feeling of who it was, a secret alliance of greedy, power hungry families whose only goal was to control our world and reap rewards onto themselves. They thought they were clever, used the ancient devices and began changing things. Entire families vanished and others took their places. They couldn't just erase them without replacements, no, they had to keep some sort of balance or risk a paradox that would destroy all of Gallifrey forever."

Rose squelched down the sick feeling at the thought of having replaced some other person. She clutched her coat around and her and let him continue.

"It was a puzzle to them, a chess game, each move made with an intent to manipulate things in their favour but always with a little bit of uncertainty. Each time they got bolder, less afraid of time reverberations, paradoxes, consequences until they went after the really old families. They must have suspected some of the other old Houses were listening to me so they targeted House Tardis. Who knows how many events they altered to erase our family, a family with such ancient ties…."

"I can't even imagine what that was like," Rose said, shaking her head in sympathy and a touch of guilt at her own existence.

He looked at her as leaves swirled around his feet as the wind picked up, a bittersweet smile on his face. "It wasn't long before the head of my house and the elders couldn't ignore it. I pleaded with them to take action but they didn't listen. They accepted their fate and then…" He paused and his voice broke a little. His eyes glistened with tears. "Rose, they left it to me."

She could feel the distress and horror radiating off of him and quickly embraced him. "It's okay, Doctor," she assured him, trying to soothe away the hurt she felt ripping him apart.

"No, it's not," he insisted.

His eyes slammed shut and his body became rigid. "My family had one of the ancient devices, the Chronoweaver, it was called." He opened his eyes and stared ahead. "They locked me up in this small self contained room, a zero room, protected from the time stream. It was meant to keep the Chronoweaver stable, sort of cold storage. The elders ordered me to put an end to what was happening, to use the Chronoweaver. They thought I was the best choice, that I could make it right and restore those who were lost."

His eyes darkened. "They told me I was some sort of throwback, to our forefathers, had the right genetic sequence to operate it and after all, I saw and felt what they couldn't!" he spit out, anger consuming him once again. He ripped himself away from Rose as the scent of rain and ozone filled the air around them. The Doctor seemed unaware in the change in weather. He was too immersed in his past.

He almost vibrated with anger and resentment as he continued to vent. "Make the Doctor pull the trigger, push the big red button of destruction! He's just a renegade, a trouble maker. They await their unmaking with a clear conscious while I…I have to activate the Chronoweaver, generate a temporal wave to stop the other devices, correct the timelines and have a bit of a temporal reboot," he shouted, gesturing wildly up at the sky as if the ghosts of his family were floating around watching him.

He paced, gripping at his head, his eyes wild as if he as reliving that day. "Only it wasn't!" he shouted. "Oh no 'cos that would have been too easy and clean of a fix! It was worse!"

"What… happened?" Rose asked softly, warily watching the Doctor, this man she loved, suffer through these memories, feeling his pain through that connection she shared with him as the wind whipped up, the trees creaking and growing, the sky darkened and thunder rumbled over head like nature itself was reacting to his fury at these past events or maybe it was just him, his connection to time and time itself was raging.

"It worked…too well. Like a good soldier I did what they asked only, the others they were already activating their devices. Time was in flux, unstable. I couldn't control it." He paced and looked up at the sky. "I couldn't control it you bloody wankers! You didn't think about that did you!" he bellowed as a flash of lightening lit up the storm brewing in the sky.

In aggravation he rushed over to a small dead tree that was leaning over, punctuating his words with kicks against the tree. "They." _Whack_! "Were erasing." _Thud_! "My family." _Smack_! "While I was." _Thud_! "Trying to stop them!" _Crack_! The tree snapped, dust and bark flew into the air.

In a fit of rage and frustration he wrapped his hands around the dead wood and yanked up the thick thigh sized trunk. He swung it around with a growl and began slamming it against a stone outcropping, bits of wood, bark, dirt and gravel sprayed around him until the tree was smashed and a small rockslide tumbled down around him. The Doctor fell to his knees in the dirt and debris, his cut and bruised hands gripping his face.

As he rocked back and forth, Rose ran over toward him, pausing as she took in this scene which had the surreal feeling of not just a nightmare, but of the fevered nightmares he'd suffered in the desert. She slowly sank to her knees beside him, almost afraid to touch him after seeing his fit of rage. "Doctor?" she asked so softly but wasn't sure he heard her.

He paused, his voice muffled as he spoke into his hands which were still covering his face. "They erased them but not me. I was in the zero room, connected to the Chronoweaver, waging a war of time against them. It pulsed through me, I was apart of it, voices, images, memories, the future, the past the _coulda have beens_ all burning through me and I tried. I tried so hard to guide it, stop it from looping in on itself, from breaking apart and destroying everything," he said, his voice strangled and emotional. He dropped his hands and stared straight ahead at the rocks but still focused on the past. "But it was all for nothing. An anomaly formed, a knot in time, tangling up in a series of cascading paradoxes. It was too much. All I could do was stabilize it, save Gallifrey as it existed at that moment. A time storm exploded around me, tossed me about through time and into some new future they created.."

Anger laced his voice again. "When I woke up, I was being dragged into that prison. After they worked me over a few days, one of them finally accused me of being a terrorist, said I was caught up in an explosion and they found me at the site of my crime." He snorted, reached down for some gravel which he threw at the rock fall. "Explosion! Site of the crime! They didn't know the half of it! From there all I got was bits and pieces from the guards talking, trying to torment me; and from others in the Death Zone and I knew…I knew how wrong things went, how what I did made things worse."

His face fell and he looked at her kneeling next to him. "Oh Rose, I made it worse. No one was saved and those that did this, I just patched what they mucked up, gave them the means to continue. It's all gone, everyone I knew, my family, my friends, all lost! It was all for nothing!"

Rose pulled him into her arms her eyes shut as he nettled his head into the crook of her neck. She held him as tightly as she could as he wept, finally grieving for all that he'd lost. Racking sobs shook his body as she cradled him. She murmured comforting words to him. "I'm here. I love you and I'm never gonna leave you. You're not alone."

Her own face was wet with tears for him, for what he was forced to do, for the good man who was forced to take on such a burden and for the good man he still was. They clung to each other, her wrapping him in her love and comfort, feeling protective of him and wanting nothing more than to ease his devastation and overwhelming grief.

The forest seemed so quiet as if it too felt the impact of the Doctor's pain. The only movement and sound was the wind whipping through the trees and the sound of the spring, bubbling quietly nearby. The sky rumbled as the Doctor seemed to calm and the first plop of cold rain splashed against his shoulder. Rose looked up at the thick, grey swirling clouds as another rain drop splashed onto her cheek.

The Doctor sat up away from her, ran hand over his face and paused as he looked up. "Need to find shelter."

Rose looked around and zeroed in on a void in the rock slide. "I think there might be a cave," she said.

The Doctor, seemed to have shrugged off his grief and crawled over to it, knocking some rocks aside and tested the stability of the area as he peeked inside. He grunted and nodded his head as he crawled in. Rose felt more rain drops hit her and then became annoyed. Emotional upheaval or not, he just crawled in that cave without knowing what was in there and hadn't even called out to let her know he was safe. With a huff she crawled in after him, peering into the darkness.

"Doctor?" she called out quietly, not knowing what she might find. The air was stale but didn't smell bad or musty so at least it was dry. The floor of the cave was sand mixed with gravel. A light suddenly illuminated a corner in back and she could see it was the Doctor's sonic.

"It's clear and looks stable enough," he announced gruffly. "Better get the packs and we can make camp." He couldn't stand up as the rocky ceiling was too law so he crawled back toward her. Rose wiggled backwards until she was out and felt the wind pick up and branch fell from a tree near her.

"We need to hurry. Mountain storms can be unpredictable. Don't want to get caught in a downdraft," he explained as he crawled out and ran to get their packs. He wasn't looking at her. It concerned her how closed off he was as if he wanted to forget all the feelings he'd allowed himself to free. It wasn't healthy to Rose's thinking but she let it go for now. As he had once told her, they had to focus on priorities whilst in a survival situation. Another crack of lightening lit the sky and the rain began falling harder. This, she mused, was definitely a survival situation.

He ran back toward her. "What are you waitin' for, an engraved invitation? Go on, in with you."

He may have sounded annoyed but the look on his face was far more revealing to her. She saw a slight look in his eyes that he was trying to hide, evidence of the emotional turmoil he had shared with her. Any irritation fled. She nodded and grabbed his hand tugging him in with her as she crawled into the darkness. It wasn't an easy thing to do, crawling into a hole like that, reminding her of lethal and horrible things she had encountered in the Death Zone. But, she knew the Doctor was there, to hold her and chase off the nightmares. Just as he did that for her, she would do the same for him, help keep him safe from terrible and traumatic memories, his own personal ghosts and maybe, more than keep him safe. Maybe, she would find the very real and tangible vestiges of his ghosts. Perhaps, she would teach them that nobody hurt her Doctor.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hurt/comfort and smut at the beginning and then adventure!

The storm raged that night, the howling winds causing the trees to sway and creak as torrential rains pummelled the forest. Inside the cave, the atmosphere was no less turbulent. The Doctor and Rose had made camp but neither had spoken since the Doctor had revealed his past. The air was thick with tension and each was still lost in his or her own thoughts. Rose had lain down on the makeshift bed whilst the Doctor sat near the front of the cave, staring out the entrance, watching the rain fall in sheets in the darkness of the night.

She could see the tension in his neck and how stiffly he sat. He was punishing himself, remembering and reliving the nightmare of his past. Rose remembered his violent outburst as he vented the anger at his family and those that had don this that had been building within him for years. That leashed violence should have frightened her but it didn't. She knew who he was deep down and she would never fear him. Then, she'd watched as it all came crashing down. He had been so busy being strong and staying alive, allowing his captors to punish him that he'd never really mourned the loss of his family. Good or bad, honest or deceptive, they were still his family.

He wrapped loneliness and guilt around himself like unbreakable chains from a dwarf star, a burden he was tasked to drag along with him for the rest of his life in penance. But, he wasn't alone anymore. Rose was determined no matter what happened or what the cost, she would never willingly leave him and even if all they had mere hours or days together, if her life was forfeit in order to undo the damage and save their people, she would spend it with him, loving and protecting him.

She crawled over next to him, lacing her fingers with his and clasping his hand tightly.

"You should get some sleep," he said, not looking at her, his voice strong yet lifeless and devoid of emotion.

"So should you," she replied. "It's been a long day and we don't know what tomorrow will bring.'

He snorted. "More running, fighting to stay alive and death," he answered, a little more life to his voice, even if it was laced with bitterness.

"Doctor, look at me."

He continued to stare at the rain as if he didn't hear her.

Rose moved closer and cuddled up to his unyielding side. "I won't let you do this."

He shut his eyes and repeated, "Rose, go to sleep."

"Not without you." She repeated back to him. "I've lived through things I never want to see again, death, blood, the worst of people killing each other and forgetting who they are: sentient, intelligent beings with emotions and feelings. The only reason I survived and not just survived, but kept a sense of myself and held onto my sanity, was because of you. I've seen you protect me, fight, do what had to be done, suffer, almost die and yet still be so gentle and compassionate, even after all you've been through. If you think I'm gonna crawl back over there and settle down for a kip while I know you're here, stewing and beating up on yourself, well, you're dead wrong."

He still stared out of the cave. Rose knew he heard her but he was being stubborn. The thing was she was more stubborn than him. She crawled around and knelt in front of him so he had to look at her.

"I love you," she stated firmly and with a slight hitch in her voice. "And that's not just the part that kept me safe and got me out of that desert. I love all of you, the man who fought to survive, who tried not to take life when he didn't have to, the man who made love to me and the man who just relieved the most horrible moments in his life." She gripped him on his shoulders and shook him. "I'm not gonna leave you! Now stop being a prat and come to bed!"

After she finished shouting at him, he looked at her, really looked at her as if she was a hallucination. "How can you?" he asked. "Weren't you listening?" he said louder.

"Yeah, I was. I heard what you said, I felt the pain rolling off of you and it hurt. But you see, love isn't about only the good times. It's about being there when who you love is sick, down, suffering, does good or mucks things up. You were always there for me even when you were angry and thought I was wrong." She smiled sadly at him and her hand cupped his face, her fingers lightly tracing the newly grown scruff. "I'm not leaving you. How many different ways do I have to say it?" she asked emotionally.

His face softened and he pulled her into his arms, nestling his face in her neck. She murmured comforting words to him, her nails grazing the back of his neck and into his hair. They held each other as the storm raged, the winds howled through the trees and branches snapped. She felt him beginning to relax and pull back. His eyes were red and wet with unshed tears and she just knew that no one in his life had ever just held him like that.

Rose didn't know who kissed who first. It was natural as if their lips connecting was inevitable. It wasn't desperate but instead a gentle brush or graze of the lips, a slight swipe of the tongue and with an inhaled breath, the kiss deepened. Rose was in his lap with his arms wrapped around her. Clothing was being tugged free, slowly, unhurriedly and with great care as fingers trailed down skin.

She felt her back hit the blankets and they slowed their movements. She pulled off her corset and top, freeing her breasts. He paused, his hands skimming up her side and cupping her breasts, his thumbs brushing her hardened nipples. He looked into her eyes. "I love you," he said in an emotional voice, resonating with his feelings and passion.

"I love you too," Rose answered, her voice evidencing how much she meant it.

They kissed, more vigorously, gently nipping at each other as they continued to disrobe until he pushed Rose back and they lay together nude, fingers tracing muscles, scars and invisible designs as their tongues met and little breathy groans echoed in the cave. She rolled him over until he was beneath her.

"Let me do this for you," she said softly and peppered kisses on his bare chest, licking up one prominent scare under his left nipple.

The Doctor was overwhelmed by her. Here was this girl, noble lady, protected and raised to be head of a fine house, thrown into a prison with him and yet she didn't just survive it, she prevailed, stood up to him and by him, defended him in ways that he couldn't comprehend. There was such courage and passion in her. She was so much better than him and he didn't think he deserved her. And still she stayed, declared her love and demanded he let her into his life, even after revealing his soul and sins to her. It was beyond his comprehension how she could still love him knowing what he'd done and what he still may have to do. And he loved her. It was a deep soul searing love that almost consumed him. There was power in it. She seemed oblivious to that, to what he would do all for her love.

The press of her lips and dart of her tongue against his skin fuelled his own passion, his want to bury himself in her and never leave or have to face the outside world again. But, he knew that wasn't possible. All they had was each other and every moment was precious and shouldn't be wasted. He poured that love and passion into her, making use of the link to each other. She moaned and trailed kisses down his abdomen, taking his length into her mouth. The sensation of her hot mouth taking him in, her lips and tongue touching him so intimately nearly drove him over the edge. His fingers tangled in her hair and he gripped her hard as his body arched up helplessly at her mercy.

The Doctor was never one to give up control easily but that night, he gladly relinquished himself into her care and custody. She was the owner of his heart and soul, the goddess he worshipped and lay prostrate before and yet somehow it was she worshipping him. A swirl of her tongue and hum of her mouth left him crying out, erasing any thoughts of past mistakes or misdeeds. All he knew was the pounding of his heart, race of his blood and a fire enveloping him with only her name being gasped on his lips.

Rose was merciless in her erotic rhythm, lips gliding up and down his length, torturing him with a slight graze of her teeth whilst her mind sent thoughts of love through to his core, stoking his pleasure and conveying how much she was enjoying giving him this gift. The Doctor felt his body taught and tense, arching up to her again as he reached the point of no return. He wanted more though and yanked her head up.

Rose released him with a wet pop and looked up to find blue fire in his eyes.

"Rose," he said in a tight wanting voice.

She smiled, feeling his mind, hot and lustful caressing her from the inside out and she almost purred from the feeling, her thighs slick from what he did to her and the taste of him still on her tongue. She crawled up and slowly sank down on him, moaning as he slid into her so deep and the pleasure of it made her shiver. There was nothing quite like this, having him inside of her in mind and body. She never felt overwhelmed. A warmth filled her and heat pooled low inside of her, stimulating her and evoking sensations as she rode him. His calloused hands gripped her hips as she rocked into him arching back slightly.

The sight of his beautiful Rose, riding him always gave him a sense of possession, raising dark emotions from deep within him. This voluptuous, golden haired woman was his. She enjoyed this, giving pleasure to him as much as he enjoyed receiving it, watching her shut her eyes and bite her lip as her hips moved in rhythm with him. Her breasts bounced temptingly in front of him and one of his hands glided up her abdomen almost of its own accord to cup the pink tipped mound of flesh, pinching her nipple and causing her to cry out.

She opened her eyes and pierced him with her gaze, full of desire and passion. Her movements speeded up and the sound of her flesh pounding against him made it difficult for him to think and that was the point. He was so close and he begged her to come, his grip vicelike on her hips. She cried out as her walls fluttered and she shouted out, her hair flipping around her head as she took her pleasure. He soon followed, crying her name out mixed with _love_.

They collapsed together on the makeshift bed, she curled up into his side and him with his arms around her, now even more determined not to lose her. He couldn't let the universe be so cruel. There would be a cost but whatever it was, he'd pay it just so long as he could have her and this bond between them. He'd give anything for that.

That night, he dreamed. His subconscious seemed determined to take him on a tour of the past. This time, the tearing guilt and pain didn't dominate. Perhaps it was his bond with Rose or maybe it was just exhaustion from confessing his sins to her; then again, perhaps it was just everything the two of them had been through, finally taking it's toll.

His dreams focused on the Zero Room and the Chronoweaver. It was a pure white room, empty of all but the Chronoweaver which sat on a pedestal, sitting there almost innocently. It was a stone box, carved with intricate symbols. Inside was a crystalline structure most could barely comprehend. It was quiet and cool in this room, the box faintly glowing in the dim light. A slight hum, a vibration broke the silence.

The sound was familiar and he stepped closer to its source, the Chronoweaver. The delicate crystals within the device resonated with the familiar hum, almost a whisper to him, an alluring siren song beckoning him. The room glowed with an intense burning white as the song overwhelmed him. He woke up with a gasp, breathing hard. Rose was still curled up asleep next to him. He smiled and leaned over laying a gentle kiss on her head. The dream ebbed away replaced with contentment. Still, something niggled at him. He turned to the front of the cave to find the Lycan staring at him. Its slight growl made the hairs on the nape of his neck raise. It was a warning.

He shook Rose awake, now on alert. The previous night had been a brief reprieve from the danger that surrounded them. That reprieve was at an end and it was time to face up to all that was against them. He turned back to the cave entrance to find the Lycan gone and that disturbed him even more.

"Rose, get a move on it. Storms done and we've already stayed her longer than we should."

Rose groaned and threw a blanket at him, stretching and taking a moment to enjoy the sight of his bare arse while he tugged on his trousers. It was a sight she would never get tired of. He looked over at her. "Well, come on then. Move that cute little arse! I'm gonna scout around and see what damage the storms done. He grabbed some green plum like fruit they'd found in the forest and tossed them at her and took some for himself as he crawled out.

She looked at the fruit and took a bite, a bit of juice dribbling down her face. It was tart but good. She ate up and took a sip from her water skin before dressing. She smiled as she packed them up. Even though they had so much to worry about with them more than likely being hunted and with the whole warped timeline mess ahead of them, she couldn't help but be happy. Rose loved the Doctor and that seemed to trump anything. Her packing slowed as she felt something, like being watched. Her hand reached for the dagger at her waist, she whipped around, peering into the dark corners of the cave.

Her heart pounding, she slowly calmed and went back to packing, a bit more hurried this time and feeling a touch paranoid. The thing of it was, even though she trusted the Doctor, she knew he couldn't see everything that was coming. There was evil in this world and she'd seen it first hand in the Death Zone and now her gut was telling her it was following them. What they faced ahead could be much worse. The reality was very real that in fixing this world, they may lose each other.

The very thought wrenched her stomach. Suddenly this cave was stifling and suffocating her. She dragged both their packs out with her into the morning air. The forest was damp and dripping from the storm. The musty scent of decaying leaves hit her as she stood up, happy to have escaped the claustrophobic cave. The vitality of the forest surrounded her as birds flew amongst the tree branches, animals chattered and the spring bubbled not far away. It shored up her resolve to save this world and her Doctor.

He walked over to her shaking the damp from the forest off of him and glowering slightly as he swatted at some flies. She couldn't help the smile that lit her face.

"You ready then?" he asked swatting at an insect on his shoulder.

She grabbed him by his chest plate, yanking her to him and snogged him thoroughly.

He looked at her surprised by the spontaneous affection and with a slight smile. "What was that for?"

She shrugged giving him a tongue teasing smile. "Just because." She put on her pack and kicked his over to him. "So, where we off to then?"

He put on his pack and looked at her affectionately, grabbing her hand and pulling her along. "I found a path not far ahead, should make easier going to cross this mountain and take us down into the valley toward the river. We can follow the river toward the city."

Rose smiled and squeezed his hand as they shouldered their way though some brush and deeper into the woods. "So that'd be the River of Serendipity then?"

"Should be if the topography hasn't changed much since…" he began but didn't finish, his eyes drifting off into the distance, again thinking of the past.

Rose squeezed his hand again. "The Serendipity runs from the mountains through several small towns toward the capital where it splits off. My family home isn't too far from one of the branches. It's still a long walk from here, a week or more at least and that's if we don't' have more bad weather or run into…bad things," she explained her voice ending softly.

He looked over at her. "Any bad things cross our path, they better be ready."

She felt the warmth of his confidence and affection wrap around her. "Yeah, they better be 'cos you and me together, well, we're they stuff of legends. We escaped the Death Zone didn't we?"

He smiled at her, trying to be confidant but deep down, he was preparing for the worst. The previous night was fresh in his mind and that possessive protective feeling was just beneath the surface ready to bust out at any moment that danger neared her. They walked into the woods smiling but all of his senses were on high alert. Something was coming after them. He'd felt it the moment he'd seen the wolf and even more so when he left the cave. They were being hunted.

Eventually, both of them quieted as they ventured deeper into the woods. The twin suns rose in the sky and the moisture from the storm became a humid heat pressing in on them. Both were covered in perspiration as they trudged through the still, thick air hanging beneath the tree canopy. It slowed them down as their boot clad feet squelched in mud or slipped on wet leaves.

After a few hours, Rose wanted to stop but the Doctor encouraged her on. That itch he'd felt in the back of his mind earlier was growing in intensity and his nerves were on edge. The very air around them seemed laden with some heavy tension as if the forest knew something terrible was coming. Although this environment was better than the dry heat of the desert, it was far from ideal. Sweat trickled down their skin and insects buzzed around them. Rose slapped at them ineffectually and started to grumble about never reaching the bloody path or the river and what she wouldn't give for a nice breeze. The Doctor ignored her. He was still focused on that mental tug indicating that circumstances were about to change and not for the better, that something was near, something bad.

He stopped abruptly and placed his hand over Rose's mouth when she started to ask him why. He stood completely still as the buzz of the insets and the flutter of the birds above them silenced. The only thing that moved was the annoying flies buzzing around them as the Doctor visually scanned the forest around them.

Rose tensed beginning to sense some of what he was feeling. They were being watched. Her heart began to pound and adrenalin started to rush as she felt the warrior within him unfurl. He stared at an area of the forest ahead of them. Rose focused on the vegetation as well and that's when she saw something was off.

He slowly lowered his hand from her mouth as the forest seemed to come alive, depositing three humanoid avatars of itself before them.

Rose's eyes widened. "What are they?" she whispered.

"Plumbole, sort of plant chameleon creatures. Sentient plants of a sort. They adapt to their surroundings, make brilliant scouts. They were probably sent out to look for us," he explained, his hand gripping hers tightly

"Scouts," Rose repeated. "They gonna kill us?" she asked nervously, wondering how one defended oneself from a living plant creature.

"No, they're just here to…" He trailed off.

"To what?" Rose asked, now even more nervous.

A blood curdling roar echoed though out the forest, raising goose bumps on Rose's arms. The Doctor cursed and shouted, "Run!"

The two of them sprinted away as the three Plumboles swiftly charged them.

"Doctor, them plant things didn't make that noise. What was it?" Rose asked, running beside the Doctor.

The Doctor didn't answer, just tugged at her harder, encouraging her to move faster. They crashed through the underbrush, uncaring of the branches that whipped their skin or the moisture that rained down on them from the trees. Rose felt anger and fear roll off the Doctor. The roar sounded again along with snapping branches and cracking wood as if trees were falling nearby. Rose focused on running, her legs pumping and not letting go of the Doctor's hand. Worry about whatever made that noise was nothing compared to the fear being captured, or worse, losing the Doctor. It spurred her on, filling her with a determination to not let him go. .

As fast as they ran, turning abruptly, attempting to elude their pursuers, the plant creatures seemed faster. The rustle of their leaves along with green tendrils whipping at their backs left the Doctor and Rose no doubt they were being pursued ruthlessly. Eventually, the creatures split up, attempting to circle around them, popping out in front of them trying to engulf them in their foliage. The Doctor seemed to anticipate this and yanked Rose back in time, changing their direction several times but the creatures were relentless and the eerie howling growl that had prompted them to run, continued to echo in the forest seeming to be closing in on them.

At first, Rose thought they were running in circles, being corralled but soon she realized it was worse than that. They were being pushed toward something, something the Doctor didn't want to face. The Doctor stopped abruptly when one of the Plumboles materialized from the forest mere feet in front of them.

"No," the Doctor said, firmly. Rose stood by him panting when something wrapped around her legs and yanked her down and off to the side.

"Doctor!" she screamed, as she looked toward the forest where another creature appeared and pulled her toward it.

"Let her go!" the Doctor commanded. Rose felt vines wrap tighter around her legs as the creature pulled her toward it and away from the Doctor, its green leaves trembling and shaking each time it tugged her in.

Rose grabbed a small tree and held on as it continued to tug at her. The Doctor grunted as another on of the creatures tackled him and engulfed him in its shrubbery.

"Oh no you don't!" Rose grunted as she felt the vines tighten painfully on her legs and the creature that had her in its grasp moved toward her. Maybe it didn't bleed like an animal life form, but there was one thing she knew she could do…give the living hedge a good shearing. She let go of the tree and pulled her knife out of its sheath and began slicing at the vines.

Once she was free, she stood up and tensed as the plant creature moved swiftly toward her. She heard the Doctor shout out something about roots just as the creature rose up to envelop. She felt its limbs scraping and pounding at her as she knelt down close to the ground so she could dive at its base. The Doctor was right, it had a connection to the ground. As she felt tendrils wrapping around her arms and legs as branches scratched and pushed at her, she kept her knife in her hand and struggled to begin cutting at it. She felt it wrap its vines around her head and neck but she kept fighting and just as it focused on strangling her, she cut through the last of its connection to the ground and it collapsed on top of her in a pile of limbs and leaves.

She pulled at the vines wrapped around her neck, coughing and gasping for air and crawled her way out of pile of withering branches and greenery. She lay on the ground, catching her breath when she saw the other Plumbole that had the Doctor begin to smoke. The Doctor burst out just as flames engulfed it. He turned to the third Plumbole emerging from the woods and aimed his sonic screwdriver at it. The plant creature quickly scurried back, disappearing into the woods.

The Doctor backed up toward Rose, his eyes not leaving the area where the Plumbole vanished. "You all right?"

"Yeah, sure, gettin' felt up by the plant monster and almost suffocating is all in a day's work. You?"

"Spontaneous Plumbole Combustion setting." He said, waving his sonic in the air, his eyes still scanning the forest. "If you're done napping, best get a move on." A snarling roar filled the air, the very ground trembling from it. "Now, Rose!"

Rose jumped up quickly, adjusting her pack and they sprinted off. Rose still had many questions as to what was chasing them but she trusted him and if he felt the need to run then they needed to run. Of course, that didn't stop her mind from racing with questions like: if the Plumboles were the scouts and only there to pen them in or detain them, then what else was coming? Her question about what was chasing them was answered all too soon. Just as they emerged to a more sparely wooded area, the forest went silent. A snorting and growling could be heard as something large came crashing through the woods toward them and Rose soon realized it was more than one something.

She stopped and stared at the bear-like beast with long sabre like teeth bared galloping directly for her on its four paws, claws digging into the ground as it snorted and stared at her. It was three times the size of the Doctor with black fur and grey armoured plates covering its heavily muscled body.

"Toc…Toclafane." She gasped in horror.

The Doctor yanked her close to him. "It's an Ursus, a predator. Our knives won't penetrate that armour. They're killers pure and simple and especially when they're hungry and that one looks a bit peckish," the Doctor revealed, his fingers digging into her upper arms as he realized there were two more on a direct course for them. He tried to come up with a place they could run to, a plan to evade them but with three of them, his options were limited. The Ursus were excellent climbers, could rip a tree apart on the hunt for their prey and once they caught scent of you, they never gave up. It's why they were used on a hunt.

Rose shook her head, almost too terrified to speak. "They were just fairy stories. Be good or the Toclafane will eat you. I never thought…" she drifted off as the evil childhood stories rang in her mind about the giant fur and armour covered creatures and how they stole children in the night to drag them back to their caves in their razor teethed jaw to devour them.

"Rose!" the Doctor said firmly, shaking her. "We have to try and make it to the river."

"We'll never make it," Rose answered, her voice strangled. "They're…they're the Toclafane and they've come for us. We're gonna die."

He whipped her around. "Look at me!"

She looked up into his piercing blue eyes. "We're not gonna die. At least, not today. Now come on!"

Rose snapped out of whatever fear had overcome her. If the Doctor said they would live, then they would. She ran beside him as they dashed off through the woods between two of the rampaging creatures. It seemed like they ran forever with the blood curdling howls of the creatures always seeming close to them. Rose swore she felt their hot breath at her back and often caught the sent of musty animal close at hand. Her vision swam with unshed tears as more trees crashed down near them as they great beasts closed in on them.

Just as she was sure one of their clawed paws would swipe down her back, they found themselves bursting out of the treeline. They barely stopped before they fell off a cliff. The Doctor yanked her against his chest and they looked down. The river glimmered in the sunlight almost taunting them three hundred meters beneath where they stood on the cliff.

One of the Ursus stormed out of the woods and zeroed in on them. Rose clung to the Doctor darting a look back down the rock cliff face toward the river beneath them. 'Doctor?"

He looked down at her and slight smile lit his face. He pulled her into a tight hug and looked over at the Ursus, its sabre teeth bared ominously. He tensed and reached for his knife, ready to shove Rose away and take on this creature when another howling filled the air and the Lycan leapt out of the forest, landing on the Ursus back, its jaws clamped around the Ursus neck. Rose looked up and gasped as the two animals rolled around in the dirt and grass in a monumental struggle for life and death.

"No!" Rose shouted as she watched the Ursus toss the Lycan aside and the Lycan right itself. It looked once at Rose before with teeth bared, it attacked the Ursus again.

"Rose, we have to jump," the Doctor told her, urging her toward the edge of the cliff.

She looked up at him in shock and terror. "Are you mad? We'll die!"

"We'll die if we stay!" he said, gripping her shoulders. "Trust me."

How could she question that? If there was one person she trusted above all others it was him. She looked once more at the Lycan, covered in blood. Tears poured down her eyes at the thought of leaving this creature that had been with them through so much.

"Rose!" he shouted as another Ursus emerged from the forest.

Rose looked at him. and nodded and without another word, the two of them turned to the abyss before them. Hand in hand they jumped off the cliff and into the unknown.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Doctor! This ends a tad bit harsh but he did say Rose was there to stop him... Flinches just a bit but don't worry, Rose will straighten him out and all will be better. Thank you so much for your patience and I'll try to get back to a more regular posting. In fact, I might work more on this one as it's kind of close to being resolved. Welllll, I say close but this is me and whenever I say that, it usually means more chapters than I think LOL

_Rose looked at him. and nodded and without another word, the two of them turned to the abyss before them. Hand in hand they jumped off the cliff and into the unknown._

They plunged into the cold water sinking downward, submersed beneath the churning surface, currents tugging at them. Part way down, they bumped into a rock and used the leverage to spring upward, bursting out of the water and gasping for breath as they were swept down stream in the swift moving current.

Rose was coughing out water, bobbing not far from the Doctor, struggling to stay afloat as her sodden clothes and pack weighed her down in the swirling water. The Doctor reached out and pulled her closer to him, his legs kicking at the current as he tried to find a calmer part of the river. Rose clung to him and attempted to help push them out of the more turbulent area. Eventually, they made it closer to the river bank. Exhausted, they clung to each other and allowed the current to float them down river until they washed ashore on a sandy river bank.

They lay drenched and exhausted on the wet sand, water gently lapping at their legs as the suns slowly journeyed toward the horizon beating down on them as they lay on the bank. Rose rolled over, her head nudging his side and wrinkled her nose at the scent of wet leather.

"We need to move. They could be looking for us," she said, sounding tired, her eyes barely open.

He turned to look at her and shifted to wrap his arm around her shoulders and pull her close to him. "Course they are, but right about now, they're rethinking things, wonderin' what our plans are. They weren't expecting us to be quite this difficult."

Rose sat up, blinked her eyes a few times and looked around. There was nothing but tall golden leafed trees, dense shrubbery and the river. She thought about how they ended up there and then she remembered her friendly Lycan and a great sadness enveloped, a heavy morning for the loss of the golden Lycan that had befriended her. The Doctor sensed this and scooped her in closer to him, nuzzling her neck.

"It'll be all right. You told me you helped the Lycan and this is its way of returning the favour. Besides, I think you and it had a connection. It knew you needed help. Remember how I told you it wasn't just Gallifreyans that evolved here, other species did too. As they lived, time flowed through them. Gallifreyans became dominant and some species died out but not all. Some still sing with time, maybe they howl with it like the Lycan."

"You think we're connected somehow, that it has something to do with how each of us feels time, our time sense I mean?" Rose asked.

The Doctor shrugged. "Could be. You have to admit, your Lycan has saved us a few times and been a good friend and somehow I don't think that's due to me."

Rose nodded and looked down to where his fingers traced against hers in the wet sand. "We should get out of these wet things and dry off. It'll be night soon and we'll freeze if we…"

"Rose," he said softly into her ear, trying to calm her worries. She looked over at him until they were nose to nose. They paused, gazing at one another until he bumped his nose against hers and angled his face to capture her lips. It was soft, patient and deepening as he gently flicked his tongue into her mouth and she softened beneath the press of his lips.

The telepathic bond they shared helped convey what words could not: love, understanding and a promise of forever to each other. When they parted he sat up, bringing her with him. "Come on," he gently commanded.

She stood up with him, her legs wobbly from running, their battle and escape from the Plumboles and Ursus, along with falling into the river and swimming ashore. She stumbled, her wet clothing weighing her down as he guided her into the forest. It seemed like they walked forever to Rose until he found a suitable shelter. Neither of them spoke as he made a lean to against some boulders. Rose stripped out of her clothing and laid her leather trousers, corset and shirt on a sunny side of the boulder to dry. She returned to their camp and paused pulling things out of the packs to dry out. Not long ago, she never would have stripped down to nothing in the woods. She realized how much things had changed as she looked over to see the Doctor stripping off his own clothing to dry.

She smiled as she looked at him, long, muscled legs, lean frame with evidence of many battles scarring his back and chest and a tight pale arse she had spent nights clawing at and digging her heals into. But it was more than just physical attraction. It was how he moved, sure, aware of his surroundings and always with an eye to her. As she gazed at him smiling softly, feeling a warmth, familiarity and general feeling of security and love, so was he and she could feel that too. It was not something typical to her people or even something that was encouraged.

Pairings were not based on affection or even compatibility. It was about alliances and politics. Even her own father had plans for her. He might on some level wish her to be happy but his primary concern was the success and stability of their family. He was building a legacy for future generations. That thought made Rose frown slightly. How would he react to the Doctor? Then she shrugged it off. He would be impressed. Her father was, if nothing else, practical and the Doctor was impressive, intelligent and had knowledge that far exceeded most anyone in their civilization. And if it boiled down to it, his knowledge would give her father an advantage over others. Or at least, that's what she convinced herself.

Rose sighed when she thought of home and what it would be like to go back, how different it would be after all she had experienced. She was different now. Gone was the obstinate girl who raced across the fields or rebelled against her teachers. Instead, she was a strong, determined woman who had fought for life and independence as well as matched herself to an equally intelligent and strong man. Rose wondered if she would look at her home the same and how would her friends see her?

The Doctor sank down near her and pulled her into his arms. "We can't start a fire, not with them looking for us. We need to blend in now more than ever."

Rose leaned back onto his firm chest and sighed. "So we rest and start out fresh in the morning?"

He leaned in and nuzzled her neck. "We rest and get a bite to eat while our clothes dry and then continue on tonight. Best to switch up our routine."

Rose nodded although she wasn't as keen about traveling in the dark. She still had chills at memories of the night spent in the Death Zone and the thought of dark shadowy creatures slithering across the ground and devouring anything in their path. Those memories would haunt her for a long time.

"Shhhh, you need rest," the Doctor crooned to her. He had been watching her and sensing her emotions. She had been through so much and yet she was still with him and supporting him. She had fought brilliantly against the Plumboles and Ursus and they continued to be an unstoppable team. He felt even closer to her now since he had vented his fears and guilt. A small voice inside of him still raged that Rose shouldn't be a part of this, that it was his burden to bear. But, there was now a second voice in his head, a decidedly stubborn feminine voice that whispered of love, partnership and forever. He clung to those words.

He watched as her eyes fluttered close and her head rested on his shoulder. Out of all they'd seen and experienced, it had been seeing the Lycan sacrifice itself and being forced to leave it behind that had tipped Rose over the emotional edge. Something about that Lycan touched her. He hadn't been exaggerating when he spoke of a connection between her and the beast. In the Dark times, such a thing would have been seen as witchcraft or she a revered Sister of Pythia wielding some mystical power. Rose had once mentioned she was a descendant of the Pythia and she was trained by a Reverend Mother. Perhaps she was more connected to Gallifrey than she realized.

He sighed and picked her up to lay her on the soft bed of leaves and grasses he had made for them. They still had some time before they reached the city and there was much for them to talk about and work out. His time sense was beginning to vibrate and he had a slight sick feeling about what would greet them in the city. Even Rose had been thinking about her family and what they'd find. It was significant that both of them were focused on these things. Such feelings were not just coincidence.

He curled himself around her and nuzzled into her neck. Sleep first. In a few hours, he'd awaken and see about their things and a meal. They could talk as they moved through the forest in the dark embrace of the night, and this time he would talk to her about what they faced. There was no more time for secrets and games. Their enemies were near and all his instincts screamed that their next move would be far more deadly than Ursus. Time lines were shifting around them and he was feeling a sense of urgency, a tingling in his legs encouraging him to run. He snuggled into her and inhaled. He wouldn't be doing it alone. As the timelines shifted around him, around them, the one certainty he had was her. They would do this together.

Rose awakened a few hours later to the Doctor gently shaking her. The forest was quiet with only the sound of a few insects chirping and some rustling of leaves as nocturnal animals made their way on their nightly forage. Moonlight just barely broke through the canopy of trees and it took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the darkened forest. The Doctor handed her a water skin and some dried meats and fruits they'd gathered from the forest. She shivered as a cool breeze hit her bare skin and then she remembered the river and the long trek to hide in the forest. A growl echoed in the night and Rose tensed.

"It's all right," the Doctor assured her. "It's not near. Sound carries in the woods."

Rose nodded, sipped at her water and chewed on some of the dried meat. She was a little too quiet for the Doctor's comfort.

He plopped her clothing down next to her and then sat himself down, eating his own meal giving her time to sort through what was bothering her.

"The river carried us downstream a bit, saved us some walking and maybe a bit of climbing," he revealed.

She swallowed and looked at him. "So you think we can make the city in a few days?" she asked.

"Could do," the Doctor nodded. "Might knick us a boat somewhere and shave some more time off."

Rose nodded distractedly. She had awakened still feeling something weighing over her. She had dreamed of her Lycan running through the forest. There'd been a sense of urgency. Shadows were chasing them as the twin suns sank into the horizon. Her heart had been racing with this overwhelming need to reach her goal before that happened that the setting sun signified more than just the ending of the day but the ending of something else far more important. She ran as the shadows clawed at her. A worry about her Doctor and why he wasn't there nudged her onward and to run faster. Suddenly, she'd seen the city in the distance, reflecting the rays of the setting suns, and just as she remembered it. She raced faster toward it, knowing somehow and on some level, the Doctor was there waiting for her.

Faster and faster she ran, but something was wrong. No matter how hard she ran, she didn't seem to get closer. It was like the land was stretching out pulling the city further away and her Doctor was fading, disappearing before her eyes. Panic set in. She would not lose him but then she became confused, lost her way. In a blink, she was at home with her family. They were planning for party. It was wrong.

She ran up to her father demanding to know what happened to her…she tried to tell him about the Doctor but couldn't remember his name. She cried out as she focused on piercing blue eyes. She clung to memories that someone was trying to steal from her. She felt it. She felt pain as they tore at her mind. And then a howl erupted, vibrating through her family home and she stood up and stared at dark and sinister robed figures standing nearby. "You can't have them," she had said in a firm tone, feeling power coursing through her. It was like she was pulling something inside herself to the surface. The house shattered in a whirlwind, tearing at the fancy gold and silver party dress she wore until she was in tatters of silk and gossamer fabric staring at these creatures that dare attack her and steal her precious memories.

She was not alone. Her Lycan was at her side growling and soon, a strong calloused hand grasped hers. She looked over to find her leather clad, battle scarred Doctor, gazing at her with pride and love. The world exploded in golden light…

She had awakened with a start as he'd shaken her shoulder. It had been a powerful dream. At first she hadn't been able to talk about it but with him sitting next to her talking about traveling to the city, it made her realize, she needed to. Such a vivid dream couldn't be ignored. She started tentatively, recounting the details to him eventually building up speed until she finished and looked at him, waiting for him to tell her she was over wrought, fanciful or that it was just a silly dream.

The Doctor looked at her for a few moments before pulling her into his arms and holding her tight. He was quite certain that what she'd experienced hadn't been just a dream.

"You think I'm a nutter, don't you?" she mumbled into his chest.

"No!" he said sharply and pulled away looking down at her. "I think you've been away from people who've tried to mould you into something they want; tried to stop you from thinking and feeling on your own. You've been out on your own away from that world of control, seen things, experienced more, felt what it's like out here in the wilds of our planet. You've tasted what our world has to offer, felt connected to it in a way you couldn't all bound up in their rules and laws. Look at us, two people who shouldn't have met and yet here we are, bonded together in a way neither of us understands. You should've run from me, from it all really. But, you didn't. You stayed, asked questions, fought when you needed to and wouldn't let me push you away and now it's settling in you. All those temporal senses they tried to temper and dim, they're waking up," he told her, pulling back to tap on her temple with his finger.

She furrowed her brow at him and shook her head. "No, I'm not like you. You're the talented one."

"Well, I wouldn't want to boast," he teased. She shoved his shoulder playfully as he laughed but then he became serious as he gazed into her eyes.

He cupped her cheek, his calloused thumb tracing her cheek bone. "Don't be afraid. These senses are what everyone on our planet should have. When I met you, I could see you had talent just…it was shadowed, not real active but now, well you've bloomed!"

She groaned. "Doctor, do you know how much I hate being compared to some flower?"

He laughed again. "Course I do! But it's the truth. You are much stronger than you think." He looked out at the forest transforming from twilight into a night time environment. "We need to move out."

"But my dream?" she asked, worried still at what she'd seen.

"Could be nothing. Maybe some alternative time line mixed with a potential future all mixed together with your subconscious working through all the nasty things we've encountered. We need to focus on the here and now and right now, we're being hunted and need to keep moving. We'll figure out the dream as get closer to the city."

Rose sighed and reached for her clothing, grimacing at the manky smell of them. When she looked back at the Doctor intending on teasing him on their rank state, she saw him staring off into the woods, his face blank and his eyes intent. She shivered as she felt that feeling of intensity, alertness and something she identified as the warrior from him. It was the same thing she'd felt not long ago just prior to being attacked by the Plumboles. She quickly dressed and went looking for her pack to find that he had already had it ready for her. She hefted it up and followed him further into the dark woods.

It was unnerving being out in the wilderness at night, enveloped by the darkness and dense foliage of the forest. In the desert, Rose had felt like she had the ability to see and hear things coming at her and had time to prepare. Deep in the woods with only intermittent rays of moonlight to guide her, the cool dampness making her shiver slightly and every tree was suspicious, every step sinking into the dense undergrowth and thick carpet of leaves and decomposing plants could be bringing her in contact with danger or death. Rose could hear things skittering through the underbrush and her heart was pounding wondering if it was some new threat.

The only thing keeping her steady was the Doctor carefully making his way through the woods ahead of her. After they had been walking awhile, he slowed down near a thick trunked tree and eventually came to a stop. Rose tensed up as she crept up beside him, her hand resting on the rough bark prepared to run or fight and that's when she noticed something ahead of them. There was a dim glow in distance.

The Doctor turned to her and grasped her hand. "Not everything's a danger to us. Sometimes, if we're lucky, we find a bit of inspiration, a little bit of my world still exists here in more than just flashes of memory and shadowy images."

Rose looked up at him as the moonlight filtering through the trees highlighted his face, his blue shining almost as bright as the glow ahead of them. He was smiling at her.

"Come on," he said softly but with a bit of excitement. He pulled her through the woods toward the glow which Rose soon realized was moving. As they pushed their way through some bushes, they emerged into a meadow.

Rose's mouth dropped. It was filled with bioluminescent butterflies. They glowed in various shades of blue as they fluttered and darted around the grass filled meadow surrounded by the tall treed forest. It was almost as if they were dancing with one another in the air.

"So beautiful," Rose whispered with awe.

"You see Rose, those arrogant prats in the city haven't erased everything good about our world. These insects, luminous fritillaries are another example of how species evolved as a result to exposure to temporal energy. This field must be a rich source of artron energy or maybe even a temporal focal point or even an actual rift in time!" he said with excitement, a huge grin on his face and pleased to be able to share something so beautiful with Rose after all the hardships they'd endured.

Rose watched the brilliant blue glowing insects, some as large as her hand fluttering their delicate wings as they flew up and down in mid air acrobatics. Some floated downward clustering around tiny white flowers growing amongst the hip deep grass whilst others seemed to swirl around one another almost in a vortex of glowing wings.

"So they like this place because it feels good to them?" she asked, as one of the insects floated toward her landing on her braided hair before taking off and swooping away.

"They do, they sort of feed off of it, it energizes them and makes them glow brighter. They use that colour to find mates."

Rose giggled. "So this is one big Fritallari orgy then?"

The Doctor sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. "Not everything is equated to…" he drifted off and then stared at her. "An orgy," he repeated and then turned to the field. "Oh you clever little blue glowing beacons of time!" he shouted and then turned to Rose. "And you, Rose Tyler, you are fantastic!" He suddenly swept her up in his arms and ran into the field amongst the dancing insects until they were part of the storm of delicate glowing wings. He spun around with her, before letting her slide down his body, her feet sinking into the grass.

"Can you feel it?" he asked.

Rose wasn't sure what he was talking about but she felt his giddiness and couldn't stop smiling. She couldn't remember if she'd ever seen him like this, so elated and almost care free. And then she realized it wasn't just him. All the heaviness she'd felt earlier, the worry, sadness, fear of being caught or losing him dissipated and she was filled with something that made her feel light, free and airy.

"Doctor, what it is? I feel so…"

"Alive," he filled in for her.

"Temporal energy! It's all around us and running through us, waking up our synapse and we're a part of it."

Rose wasn't sure what it meant but she couldn't stop smiling. "So this is good, yeah?" She focused a bit more on what he was saying and realized something. "Wait, how come I've never heard of this? I mean if this is naturally occurring, wouldn't others know about it? I mean, I'd think people would want to use it somehow?"

"They would, if it was natural and stable. Of course, I doubt you'd hear about it. Remember, you already have people trying control the population. You think if they found a stable temporal energy source they could manipulate, they'd tell everyone?" the Doctor asked and snorted.

Rose looked at him, thought about it then smiled again. "It's not natural. That means there's something here drawing them." Then her brow furrowed and a sinking feeling filled her. If it wasn't natural... "Wait, you told me about ancient devices from before the Dark Times that were found, that sort of resonated with temporal energy and that they were unstable. Is that what this is? Somewhere buried in the ground, is one of those things?"

"I can feel it," he explained, his face upturned and eyes closed and then he looked at her intensely. "Just like they can. You could too if you focused."

Rose shook her head worried at the changes she saw happening in him. "This is wrong. We should keep moving. What if they find us here and then we'd have led them to it and given them more power," she said worried that this was a mistake.

"You're right. It's dangerous and that's why we have to find it first."

Rose backed away from him. "We can't. You said…"

"I said they were unstable and that I used one to try and resolve this only I couldn't control it then, not when they were using their own devices against me. I failed. I have to fix that mistake, Rose."

"What by mucking about with time again?" she shouted at him. "You want to use some unstable device that almost killed you to do what? Unmake us? Rewrite time? Isn't that what they are doing?"

He stared at her and took a shuddering breath. She was right on so many levels and yet she was wrong as well. He felt how wrong this present timeline was. Those that were manipulating things were playing a dangerous game. The altered time lines were unstable and if he didn't do something to repair the damage, even if it meant rewriting time, then everything could unravel. He'd made this attempt before with the Chronoweaver but he'd been distracted by what they'd done to his family and they'd used their own devices simultaneously causing a knot in time which he barely stabilized before a time storm formed around him, throwing him through time.

Since then, the arrogant, controlling fools had continued their manipulative games. Each time they tinkered, altered things, they created more instability. They were so impressed with themselves, they weren't paying attention. The Doctor could sense it though. He felt something big in the horizon and it was something connected to he and Rose and this place was important to it as well.

"I'm not them. I have you," he finally answered her question. "Things aren't stable. Yeah, things could go on as they are for a century or more unless they keep mucking about with time and you and I know they will. I can feel it and so can you. You dreamed about it. Rose, it has to stop. We have to stop it."

Rose stared at him and one of the Fritallaris landed on her shoulder, its wings slowly moving to and fro as if it were waiting on her to make a decision. The Doctor smiled softly at her.

"It senses your time and how important you are," he explained.

Rose looked at the fragile creature on her shoulder. It might not exist if her people kept things up. How sad would it be to lose something so beautiful and then not even remember it existed. She turned back to the Doctor.

"All right," she said and sighed. The Fritallari flew away from her shoulder and the Doctor walked up to her, caressing her cheek.

"We have to fix this Rose, you and me together. This time I won't be alone. I'll have you with me."

"It's just, I don't see how me being here changes anything. I can't do what you can."

"But you do. You'll stop me when I need stopping. You ground me and remind me what's important and you make me so much better, Rose."

Rose could see he was determined to do this thing and just as determined that she help him. It was a moment where she swore she felt the ground tilt beneath her feet. He was right, something big was about to happen but this hadn't been part of the plan he'd shared with her and then she became suspicious.

"I just…I mean we were heading to the city, to my family. Tell me, did you always plan on going off to hunt this thing down? You didn't think my father, the soon to be elected head of all the houses couldn't help you put a stop to this?

He swallowed hard and looked out across the field. She felt his annoyance and that he had been keeping his intentions from her.

"So finding one of these devices and using it to stop them was always part of the plan," she said in a clipped voice, feeling anger rise up in her. "You never believed we could find someone to help us and you just decided to what? Pat me on the head like a good little lady whilst you went about with your own plan?" she shouted at him.

He stiffened at her tone of voice and the fury she sent through their bond. "And what if they already have your family? What if they can't help us? Do you think I'd risk another family over this? I lost my family, Rose. I won't let them take yours."

Rose paced back and forth in front of him, oblivious now to what was once a peaceful beautiful place. He was right. Her family could be in danger. She just hated that he didn't share those concerns with her. Then, it hit home. It hadn't occurred to her that her escape could affect members of her family. What if there was retaliation? They needed to have some leverage or a back up plan. Her dream haunted her. Her family could be in serious danger and one her father may not be aware of. These people wouldn't hesitate to erase them. Tears welled up in her eyes as she considered this. She had to protect her family.

"Is it more dangerous to take it with us? What if they catch us and then…" she worried.

"They won't. We won't let them," he said confidently. "Rose, I can't do this without you. Are you with me?"

Rose still wasn't entirely sure this was the best plan but at the moment, she could see the logic of it. With a nod of her head, they turned to the meadow and the whirlwind of Fritallaris. They were focused on particular spot.

Hand in hand the two of them walked over and fell to their knees in the tall grass. The cloudy night sky cleared and moonlight bathed the meadow, as the Fritallaris swarmed around them. The Doctor, pulled a spade out of his pack and began digging up the grassy spot. As he dug, Rose cleared the grass, dirt and rocks away. An hour later, he stopped as the Fritallaris swirled around him in a frenzy. Rose watched as he cleared more dirt away revealing a stone box with intricate carvings all over it, no bigger than a wine bottle. He stumbled back and fell to his knees in the dirt as he gazed at it.

"Doctor, what is it?"

"It's the Chronoweaver," he whispered.

Rose felt a shiver down her spine. "The device you used to…"

"To fight them, change and stabilize time," he said, a slight tremor to his voice.

"But how did it get here?" Rose asked.

"I told you I was enveloped by a Time Storm that it tossed me about in time. It was the only thing that pierced the Zero Room. I never knew how it all happened but it must have shattered it and tossed not just me but the Chronoweaver through time and here it is."

Rose bit her lip and fidgeted. She didn't like this, how the Doctor was reacting to seeing this device again or how conveniently they'd found it. It felt like they were being played, pawns in someone else's game. But who? Why would their former captors and now pursuers want them to find this?

The Doctor crawled over to it and began clearing more dirt away from its sides in an attempt to free it from its resting place. Rose watched as he grunted and grimaced as he extracted it from the ground, the glimmering Fritallaris in a fluttering storm around him, covering him and the Chronoweaver until they both practically glowed.

"Doctor, please put it down," Rose asked, fearing for him, for the light in his eyes as he stared intently at it.

She watched as he climbed out of the dirt and into the grass, his gaze never leaving the device. He tried to open it but it wouldn't budge.

Rose knew she had to stop him.

He struggled trying to get inside, eventually banging it on a nearby rock, shouting at it to open.

"Doctor, stop!" Rose shouted but it was like he couldn't hear her, so obsessed with getting into the box.

Finally she walked over closer to him. "Doctor!"

He looked up at her, his eyes reflecting something that Rose would never forget…power, madness and a touch of lust that left her cold.

"I can do it! I can change everything! We can have everything Rose! Destroy them and restore our world!"

He turned back to the box. "I just have to get the bloody thing open!"

Rose wondered now, about him, what he'd done before when he'd touched it. Had he been consumed by this madness? He'd told her their ancestors had found these devices too dangerous, buried and hid them away because they knew what they'd made was wrong. She could see why. Perhaps the last time, he'd been focused on saving his family, suffering from guilt and that's how he'd related to it and manipulated it. But now, he was tainted by the pain he'd suffered, the guilt and the need for revenge against those that had done this, altered the course of his life and of their world. He was a different person now.

She had to stop him. While he shouted and slammed the box onto a rock, cursing it and demanding it open, Rose picked up another stone. She quietly walked up to him amidst the Fritallaris swirling around him. "I'm sorry," she whispered as she slammed the stone against the side of his head…


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I played with a different writing technique for a good portion of this chapter :) Once again, thank you so much for reading!

Something was off. He couldn't move and there was a throbbing pain in his head. "Rose!" his mind screamed in fear, wondering what had happened. His eyes shot open, rage beginning to bubble and boil within him if anyone had taken or harmed her. Then he focused on the scene before him and his rage ebbed.

He was in the meadow. The suns were rising and a gentle breeze drifted across the long grass, which gently bent in the wind like a grassy ocean. The sweet floral scent of the tiny white wildflowers the Fritallaris had flitted across the night before wafted toward him. Rose sat cross legged in the grass, elbow on her knee and leaning into her hand. She was looking at him. Not moving. Not blinking. Just looking at him.

"Rose?" he asked tentatively trying to move toward her. But, something was restraining him. He looked down. There were ropes and vines bound across his arms and chest and his legs out straight before him were bound at the ankles. He shifted feeling the bindings bite into his upper arms and his fingers grasp at the soil beneath him. He looked back at Rose and blinked.

He paused for a moment trying to remember how he came to be in this position. It had been dark, night time. There were glowing blue fritallaris. He had felt time energy swirling around them. There was a vague memory of a conversation with Rose and then…

Well, then things were a little foggy. Rose shifted in front of him, stretching her arms up high over her head, her corseted bosom arched outward and she reached for a water skin. After a long drink, her head tipped back, she wiped her mouth and her gaze was directed back at him.

She still didn't say anything but the expression on her face was not the typical happy Rose expression; or the beloved impressed look. There wasn't even curiosity glimmering in her golden brown gaze. No, this was different. This was annoyed, possibly accusing and perhaps even condemning.

He swallowed hard. It was light out now and there they sat at the edge of the meadow. As he recalled, they were still being pursued by an unknown enemy. Whatever this was between them, it needed to end. They needed to move on and make progress on their journey. A spark sprang to life somewhere in the bank of his mind. A journey; running toward something; defending the world and time. And yet, he was sitting in a meadow bound with Rose staring at him.

"Rose, why am I tied to a…." He looked around to find himself affixed to a thick barked tree trunk. "A tree? Why don't I remember what happened?" he asked in what he thought was a terribly calm voice but which caused Rose to stiffen and her mouth to frown.

Her eyes narrowed as she exhaled her breath slowly. "You don't remember?"

"If I remembered, I wouldn't be asking!" he retorted and tugged at his bindings. "Now let me loose. We're wasting time."

"No," she answered, her voice tight and clipped.

"What?"

"I said no," she repeated emphasising _No_.

"Rose, we don't have time for games or whatever stupid disagreement this is! People are after us! Or have you forgotten out little plunge into the river and nasty things like Ursus that wanted to tear us limb from limb?" he demanded sarcastically.

Rose looked off to the side, tapping her fingers on her thigh and paused for a moment. She turned to him, a steely look in her eyes.

"Fine, I'll tell ya what happened. You found that Chronoweaver thing and you went mad! Maybe, as mad as the ones mucking up all the timelines on Gallifrey! You looked at me and…" She paused and he saw it reflected in her eyes: pain, fear and sadness.

She stared at him as if he were something frightening, her eyes wet with unshed tears. "You weren't there anymore. I don't know who was but it wasn't you. So I did what you told me. I stopped you. Course, I never imagined I'd have to do it with a rock slammed against your head." She leaned back and looked upward at the sky shaking her head.

The Doctor sat unmoving. He barely blinked. The words were like plunging him into the Gallifreyan polar sea. His gaze remained trained on her as she slowly looked back at him as if trying to discern who he was. In that moment, he didn't think anything could hurt as much as her uncertainty about him. His mind raced back over the previous day. The river; her dream; trekking through the forest and his plan to talk to her. But that wasn't exactly what happened. They hadn't talked or more precisely, he hadn't attempted to engage her in a discussion about well, anything. Instead, they'd found this meadow. And then it hit him. Rose had said _Chronoweaver_.

His heart began pounding. Blood raced through his veins. A vibration in the time lines he hadn't noticed before thrummed against his time sense. Still, he could not remember how he'd ended up here. Rose said he was mad; not himself and she'd had to stop him. But, stop him from what? He swallowed hard.

"I don't remember. You said we found the Chronoweaver but…that's impossible."

"Yeah, you mentioned something about a time storm leaking into that zero room and tossing you through time and it must have done the same to the Chronoweaver thing."

He focused on Rose. His eyes drifted shut and he reached into himself toward that thread of a telepathic bond he shared with her. The moment his mind grasped at that golden connection, it was like a jolt went through his body - rejecting him. His eyes flashed open and he stared at her in shock. She remained before him, kneeling in the grass, her shoulders slightly slumped. It was as if she bore the weight of whatever had happened as a physical thing. He had to know the truth.

"Rose, please, I need to see. Please show me," he asked softly not even pleading for his own release. He doubted she'd untie him if he asked again anyway. Something had spooked her and enough that she felt the need to incapacitate him. He didn't know what was worse - not remembering or the fact that she was so worried, she had to make sure he was stopped by any means necessary.

"You mean you want to see my memories?" she asked and bit her lip nervously.

"Please," he repeated.

She looked at him, cocking her head to the side, examining him. "How do I know you won't go all mad lord of time again?"

He bumped the back of his head against the tree trunk and shut his eyes sighing. He looked at her and tried to impart his assurance she would be safe with him.

"I know something happened, something bad, but Rose this is me. I Will Not Harm You Ever," he said enunciating his promise to her. "Whatever happened last night is gone and I can't stop it from happening again if I don't know what might have triggered it."

Rose had been through a hellacious night. It wasn't like it was the first rough night she'd had with the Doctor. It wasn't the desert. There were no man-eating desert creatures trying to attack them. He hadn't been feverish or thrashing around wounded. He'd been unconscious.

Of course, there was nothing simple about his unconscious state. Even in the safety of the meadow, Rose was anxious and fearful. She had been left with no option other than physically harming him…smashing a rock against his head…knocking him unconscious and dragging him to a place she could restrain him. There had been blood from where she'd struck him, blood that she caused to flow. Her emotions had been in turmoil.

Once she had cleaned him up and tied him to the tree, she'd paced and worried - what if he awakened filled with the same madness? What if he escaped and tried to kill her? What if she'd lost her Doctor forever? And worst, had she misjudged him and he'd always been that way and she'd just never seen it. Had love blinded her to the truth?

Now looking at him appearing calm although suffering his own worry, she analysed this man she had lost her heart to. Did she let him back in and risk his harming her or getting loose and wreaking havoc on this world? Maybe she was more worried about her own heart. She so wanted to trust him, wanted things to be the way they were before the meadow. But then, that niggling doubt was there picking away at her love for him, filling her with doubts as to who he really was.

In the end, she knew she had to trust her instincts. Gazing into the depths of his emotion filled blue eyes, almost commanding the truth and essence of who he was, pulling and tugging at what lay deep in his heart, she made a choice.

"Okay," she said softly. "But if I feel one wrong thing; if I even glimpse one stray thought that you're going all time loony, I'll shove your mind so deep in your head, it'll take a week for you to find your way out and don't expect me to be here waiting for you."

He quirked a smile at her. "That's my fierce girl. No worries. Promise, I'll be a perfect gentlemen."

Rose rolled her eyes and moved closer, eyeing his bindings one more time before kneeling down before him. She looked him in the eyes one more time, just to be sure it was the _him_ she knew.

His smile fell, replaced with a solemn expression. "Rose, I give you my word. It's me. I don't know what happened last night and I need to. I won't let it destroy us. I won't lose you," he said, his voice deepening with emotion.

Rose nodded and gently placed her finger tips on his temple. They both closed their eyes as she focused on the memories, slamming all other parts of her mind shut from him.

It stung him that she was that mistrustful. He tried to shove his own hurt aside and focus on the memories. He saw what she saw; felt what she felt; and relived the experience through her senses.

At first, he couldn't see anything wrong but then…he felt her concern. It was a horrifying experience watching himself fade away, fall into some type of madness and shut himself off from Rose. She had been right to worry. He concentrated on what he had been doing, focusing in on the details in the memory - his hands shoving at dirt, the Chronoweaver embedded in the soil; a slight tremble in his body; and the intensity of his facial expression. Then he caught a tingle of Rose's senses and in particular, her time sense. It was subtle. She wasn't as trained as he was but it was there, a tremor in the swirling time lines, the possibilities and ever could be's.

He watched himself rise from the excavation holding the device in his hands. He tapped into the memory of Rose stretching out her mind to him, attempting to get a sense of what was happening. It made him ill when he realized what was going on. She was more right than she knew. He had been affected by the Chronoweaver. He pulled himself out of the memory as he felt her fear and sadness as she picked up the stone she would use to stop him.

He blinked and looked at her as she leaned back, tears in her eyes.

"Oh Rose, I'm so sorry," he said, his voice cracking.

"You should be!" she choked out and rubbed the tear tracks off her face. "I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to hurt you!"

"I know, love. You did what you had to…what was right. You stopped me just like I told you. What happened, it was…" He paused and struggled, muttering a curse. "I'm still tied to the tree. Could you…?" he asked indicating his bindings.

Rose sat back on her knees and glared at him. "Promise me you won't do that again!"

He rolled his eyes.

"Don't you dare make light of this!"

"I'm not," he retorted. "It's just, I'm tied to bloody tree when I'd like to be…not!"

She arched a brow and crawled over to him. "Promise me you won't leave me."

Any sassy retort died as he looked at the fear and love in her eyes. "I won't. I promise."

Rose nodded her head. "Good, cause I have…you know wicked plans for you when we get through all this. Be a shame if I had to hunt you down to make 'em happen or you know chase you down being all crazy like and hoarding your little time treasure. Might have to lop you the side of the head again and drag you off and tie you…to something a bit more fun," she said leaning and whispering the last part in his ear.

He swallowed hard. "Rose, I don't think this is the time."

Rose smiled that tongue teasing smile he loved. "Oh Doctor, this may be exactly the time." She leaned in and pressed her lips to his which parted for her. He groaned as she planted her hands on either side of his hips and pressed into him, deepening the kiss as he leaned back against the rough bark of the tree.

Her lips moved over his and her tongue curled around his own until she pulled away with a nip of his bottom lip. She licked her lips and her gaze trailed downward where his trousers were tight around his hips. Just as she was thinking of what to do next, a howl sounded in the forest.

Rose sat up and looked into the woods. Everything had gone quiet. There was no bird sounds or the whisper of animals scurrying about. It was as if all living things had gone to ground.

"Shit," she muttered and pulled out her knife and freed him from his bonds.

"We need to leave now," he ordered. She grabbed his hand and yanked him toward their packs.

"The Chronoweaver," he mentioned and she glared at him. "Rose we can't just leave it lying about."

"It's not," she responded in a clipped voice. "It's in my pack and no you can't have it."

She hefted her pack up on her back. "And don't think you're getting' away with not explaining to me what happened!"

He sighed and adjusted his own pack as another howl echoed. This one was closer. "Come on, sounds like they found us so unless you'd like to get up close and personal with another Ursu, shift!"

He didn't have to say anything more. She grabbed his hand and they took off across the meadow and into the opposite tree line. It was non stop running for the next two hours. The periodic howls and growling encouraged them to keep up a good pace, legs pumping, perspiration running down their faces as branches and leaves whipped them as they ran through the forest. They paid little mind to direction, only evading the bloodthirsty armoured creatures pursuing them. They pushed their way through thick underbrush and muddy terrain until Rose practically collapsed as they crossed a stream. The Doctor grabbed her hand and yanked her across to the other side. They slowed slightly but still kept moving at a speedy pace. The frightening howling sounds were further behind them but still the fear of being caught or having to face off against the deadly beast was all the encouragement they needed to keep moving.

Eventually, they reached an obviously well travelled dirt path.

"We must be near one of the outer villages," Rose said, gasping. "We have to warn them."

The Doctor pulled her along the path, not answering her but his mind was spinning. The Ursu had their scent. There was no convenient cliff to jump off of but they still might use the river to their advantage. As for the villagers, he doubted they would help them. More than likely, they'd toss them out to face the Ursu on their own.

A village with people - It had been decades since he'd been amongst his own people, a free man in a non combative fight or flight situation. He remembered what it was like though. How once he'd enjoyed walking amongst markets; had friends; visited great libraries and repositories of his culture's history; ran through scarlet fields of grass or just gazed up at the night sky appreciating his place in the universe and the advantages offered to him on his world. He'd been a dreamer, an explorer, a rebel and someone fighting for freedom and peace.

That wasn't the man he was anymore. Now, he was a warrior plain and simple. Where once he had been filled with wonder and joy, now he harboured mistrust and suspicion. Friends and family were gone. All he had was Rose. His hand tightened on hers. Even if it turned out he couldn't save his world, he would save _her_. He was in survival mode and he was more concerned for his and Rose's safety than some strangers in a village. Still, he knew Rose would never accept that.

Rose was still breathing heavy but tried to keep up with his brutal pace. She did not want another run in with the Ursus. One encounter with the large, sharp teethed beasts was enough. They passed a farm but didn't see anyone. The path split off and the Doctor took them to the left down hill leading them back to the River. Rose hoped that didn't mean another swim. She was exhausted from running and didn't think she could fight the current. A sparsely populated village appeared up ahead on a ridge. They could see half a dozen primitive stone buildings and heard the sounds of civilization, - music playing and the sounds of machinery working.

"We have to tell 'em," Rose panted out.

"We have to find our way out, first. We don't know what these people will do when they see us or what they've been told about us. They could kill us on sight or lock us away until our friendly captors arrive."

Rose furrowed her brow at him. "But those Ursus are coming! They'll kill them!"

"Yes, and us too. Now shift, we need to get to the river and knick a ride. Then we can set out an alarm…after we save our own arses."

Rose stopped and crossed her arms, her jaw set in displeasure. "Doctor, there are innocent people in danger and they come first."

"What, you think we're not in more danger? Those things have our scent and they will kill us," he said in a deadly voice. He pointed at the village. "Those people in that village may be in danger but not like us. They don't know us or care. We don't make it out of here and what happens to those nice people? We get caught or erased and how many more lives get destroyed or altered? What if someone doesn't like those villagers and decides to erase them or make them into a nice compliant workforce, take away their free will?" the Doctor argued back, making a point that they needed to stay alive.

Rose shifted from foot to foot and looked away. She knew the point he was making but she wasn't going to back down. If there was one thing she'd learned on this journey in the Death Zone and beyond, it was life was precious, all life; and there were times when you needed to take a stand, to do the right thing. She turned back to him, her golden brown eyes practically on fire with her stubborn determination. "Go to the river and find us transport. I'll be taking care of the village."

"No!" he shouted. "I'm not letting you wander off and get yourself killed over…"

"Yeah, you are and I don't have any plans on dying today," she said, interrupting him. "I've been taking care of myself for a while now and care of you too unless you've forgotten. I'm doing this. Now go! I won't be long."

The Doctor watched as Rose marched off on her mission. He felt his temper flare and clenched his fists. His first instinct was to grab her, toss her over his shoulder and haul her off to the river. The villagers could see to themselves. What he wanted to do versus what he would do were two different things. He knew Rose was capable and she was right, she could take care of herself. She was strong, stubborn, determined and smart. And, he loved her for those things even if at the moment he was supremely aggravated with her.

He stomped off toward the river muttering about how his bloody stubborn woman was gonna get them both killed. He slowed his pace and softened his gate as he approached the river. This would require stealth along with a bit of thievery. He crept closer to the sound of running water, crawling through some bushes. Not far from him on the shore was a small skiff tied up to a stump. Although he could hear voices, there didn't appear to be anyone around.

He slowly moved through the shrubbery along the bank scoping out the river, looking for the sound of the voices that were echoing around the rush of the water. There didn't appear to be much activity on the water but further down the bank there was a dock with some men unloading crates from a larger boat.

Just as the Doctor was weighing the pros and cons of just walking out and taking the skiff, an ear piercing siren sounded. The men on the dock dropped their cargo and raced into the village. The Doctor didn't waist the opportunity. He stowed his pack on the boat and untied the mooring. He turned back to the dock to make sure he wasn't being observed just in time to see a blonde head racing down toward the river. The siren was still screeching as she paused at the end of the dock looking down the river. When she saw him, she smiled and climbed down off the wooden structure and raced along the muddy river bank toward him.

He pushed the boat off the bank and used a pole to push himself down stream through the shallows toward her. Just as she hopped in the boat, they heard the chilling roar of the Ursu and shouting followed by laser cannon fire. Rose dropped her pack and the Doctor pushed them into the middle of the river. He climbed back, started the motor, navigating them away from the village.

He looked back at Rose nervously staring back toward the village disappearing in the distance as the boat bobbed and glided down the river with the current.

"So you warned them did ya?" he asked, watching her.

She turned to him. "Someone had to. I had to give them a chance."

"I heard a siren. Didn't know there was warning for Ursu. Thought you said they were legendary to your people, some fairy tale monster, the Toclafane you called them."

Rose shivered at the name. "Yeah, she said softly. "I set off the fire alarm and shouted out to anyone who would listen the village was under attack and told the kids the Toclafane were coming. They screamed and ran to their parents. I ducked out after that."

The Doctor shook his head. "Clever." Then he glared at her. "And stupid! They could have captured you and kept you there."

Rose stiffened and directed a hard look at him. "At least I tried to save them and didn't leave them there to die. Maybe you can walk away all focused on some mad plan to control time but I can't."

The bite in her voice and reference to his exhibited madness in the meadow couldn't be ignored. He knew he had to talk to her and that was as good a time as any.

"It's not that I don't care," he started to say as she sat down on a bench in the skiff opposite him and waited for him to continue. He looked out at the water rushing by them. He'd already revealed so much to her but her seeing him weak and so destructive was gut wrenching for him. It hadn't quite occurred to him before how important it was that she respected him as much as he respected her. Right then, he knew she was questioning his values and what sort of man he was.

"I do care," he continued after a lengthy pause. "Except, maybe I care about you more and I can't help that." He directed a fierce look at her imbibed with passion and the love he felt for her.

"And I care about this world and what's happened to it. I meant what I said back on the path. If we don't make it, no one will ever know what's been happening. Everything will fall to pieces until none of us exist or will have ever existed. Even our planet could be nothing more than dust. The time distortion and associated paradox would reverberate across the universe. There's no telling what could happen to the billions of worlds and life out there," he said, looking up at the sky.

He looked back at her. "What happened in that meadow was wrong. You were right to stop me. Finding the Chronoweaver was no accident. It's too convenient. You being there to stop me…maybe that was no accident either."

Rose shook her head. "Don't you dare say that finding you was part of someone's grand plan. Us, you and me, we…we found something in each other and it wasn't part of anyone's plan. You can't plan love!" she said emotionally. "No, you'll not convince me that what we have was part of a scheme. I won't let you belittle something so precious and important. I've never loved anyone like…" She turned away staring into the water.

His grip on the rudder tightened. He felt the same way. He exhaled and continued. "I've never felt this way before either," he revealed. "But I think you and I, we needed to come together. Maybe time or the universe needed us, what we are together."

"And what's that?" Rose asked softly.

"Better, a part of something bigger than us. Maybe even guardians of time or time's champions if you will."

Rose looked at him and arched a brow. "Yeah, well we're rubbish at it then 'cos we aren't exactly saving anything or anyone. We're on the run, bringing danger down on any we pass. Look at what happened to the Lycan and what those Villagers are probably going through. Then there's your little nutter affair with that bloody time device."

He swallowed hard. She had a point. "You're right, the Chronoweaver had a negative effect on me. I think that's why it wouldn't open. It knew I was not in my right mind."

"Are you saying it's sentient?" Rose asked and then looked back at her pack, biting her lip with worry.

"Not exactly. It's like I'm a component of it, the organic part necessary for it to work. If the part is damaged, it won't really function."

Rose stared at him as the impact of what he'd said sank in. "Did you know that the first time you used it?"

"No," he said snorting. "Didn't have a clue what I was doing. It was sort of making it up as I went along. Not bad at that, me."

Rose couldn't help the smile on her face at that comment. It was true. She'd seen him devise brilliant plans on the fly and they often saved their lives.

It did him good seeing her smile and made talking to her about the rest easier. He confirmed her suspicion that his emotional state and focus did indeed impact how he related and connected to the device. There was also a further complication that other devices were being used simultaneously again, creating instability. This was even more concerning as the last time he had fought against those using their devices, it almost ripped time apart.

Rose looked at him as he explained it to her using far more technical terms than she could really understand. Still, she was able to boil it down to the basics. "Before you were focused on saving your family and trying to stabilize things. You hadn't lived for decades in the Death Zone having to fight for your life every day."

He couldn't look at her. His reaction and why it happened confirmed how far he had fallen into darkness. He could barely remember being that young explorer, excited to see the universe and wanting to share his experiences with his people. Now, he was hard, bitter and more about fighting some evil that had such a firm grasp on his world, twisting it and his people into something warped and wrong.

"You said you needed me, that time needed us." She paused a little afraid to verbalize what he was suggesting. Images from her dream, that nightmare that had so shaken her were now firmly at the front of her mind. He had said sometimes things were more than dreams. She took a deep breath as she processed everything and had to admit the truth. "It's gonna take both of us together working the Chronoweaver to stop what's happening and fix what's wrong."

He looked deep into her eyes and felt the bond between them flare with the emotions they shared. It hadn't done that since she had to stop him in the meadow. His mind reached out to hers and he visualized them embracing. She returned that telepathic embrace as they both accepted this fate. They would indeed do this together no matter the cost.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note :) I wrote close to 8800 words straight through so this is the first of two chapters being posted. The second part will be posted either tonight or tomorrow some time. I hope you like it and as always, thank you so much for reading!

The twin suns beat down on the river as the day slowly crawled to completion. The small, metal skiff slowly chugged along with the current as its passengers sat gazing out at the river and passing landscape. After the Doctor explained his reaction to the Chronoweaver and what that meant to both of them, they settled into quiet contemplation.

Rose was still slightly unsettled after the events in the meadow. Even though he seemed to be himself, the Doctor she knew and loved, part of her was still wary. She'd glance at him periodically, taking in every detail, every movement as he worked the rudder and scanned the river banks. The Chronoweaver remained tucked away in her pack. Was it a device that would save their world? Or, was it merely another weapon, a temptation to lead her Doctor down a darker path and one toward the destruction of her world?

There was no clear answer. She looked down at the water rushing along the sides of the boat. The Doctor had once compared time to a river, flowing all around them. She dipped her fingers in the water, feeling the cool flow of it across her finger tips. She remembered how he had explained that time, like a great flowing stream of water, couldn't be dammed; that it would leak, flood and find away around that which constricted it. It finds the weaknesses and wears them down, finds the cracks and bursts through.

Rose looked up at the river bank as a thought occurred to her. He'd said he was a biologic component of the Chronoweaver and it wouldn't work with a malfunctioning part. He was broken and needed repaired or patched like a dam breaking. Rose felt something click inside of her. What if he wasn't the only thing broken? What if those using their devices to manipulate time were also malfunctioning and yet forcing the devices to do their will?

Rose had stopped the Doctor. Without her there, he would have smashed his way into the Chronoweaver and bent time to his will. Rose could visualize this even further. It wasn't just breaking into the device; it was tearing one's way through time; damaging time, ripping it apart and trying to sew it back together in a pattern one desired. But, when one shattered something and reassembled it, essentially gluing it back together, weakened seams were left behind. These sutured marks or scars wouldn't hold as strong as the original untouched time line.

It was like the river. Time was finding the weak points, the cracks and rushing through them, weakening what was cobbled together until finally it would all shatter. That was what was happening. Rose could feel it. She didn't know how but something in her felt this to be the truth.

The Doctor's first attempt with the Chronoweaver hadn't stopped those that were attempting to control time. He'd patched time and stabilized it. Time was wounded. Her people were the cause. This wasn't as much about stopping people from damaging time as it was about healing wounds; finding the source of the laceration; and applying salve and stitching it closed until it scabbed and healed properly.

The Doctor had it wrong. They didn't need to be warriors. They needed to be healers. That was easier for Rose to accept. Prevent further injury and heal the wound. As she came to grips with this concept, she felt dampness seep through the leather of her boots. She looked down and there was a growing pool of water in the bottom of the boat.

"Doctor!" Rose shouted and pointed at the water. He cursed and looked around until he found a reedy alcove, hidden from the rest of the river. He navigated them in and hopped out to moor them. Rose unpacked the boat and walked up the shore toward the tree line to set down their packs. The Doctor pulled the boat further on shore.

"Rose, give me a hand," he called over to her as he strained to pull the boat further up the shore.

She removed her coat, the heat of the day already wearing on her and ran back down to help him tip the boat over, drain the water and look for the leak. He didn't say anything else and went straight to work. Rose stood watched him focused on the skiff, his hands running over the bottom of the vessel, perspiration beading on his skin as the sun beat down on them. She stood to the side, rolling her head, fatigue taking its toll as she stretched and yawned trying to fight it off.

The Doctor looked back at her noticing the bone cracking yawn and how she rubbed at her eyes. She was exhausted. Although he had been unconscious during their meadow adventure, Rose had stayed awake all night, watching over him and on alert for any other dangers. Earlier, he'd noticed her eyes fluttering shut and she had almost fallen over in the boat twice.

It wasn't just physical exhaustion. She was mentally and emotionally worn down as well. His Rose was strong, there was no doubt of that but even she had her limits and they had endured so many challenges over the past several days. Whilst they traveled down river, he had watched her as she gazed outward at the river bank, deep in contemplation.

Her eyes had reflected her growing concern for him. He knew she was watching him, looking for signs that he was losing his mind. As much as she watched the forest they passed, looking for any hint of danger from those that pursued them, she watched him as well. He had tentatively reached out toward the bond between them, needing his own reassurance. She hadn't rejected him but he could still feel her reticence, her worry for him. It wasn't just about him though.

There was the dream she experienced and how it affected her. Her concern for him and his state of mind was mixed with worries about running from carnivorous beasts and escaping down river. And then, there was uncertainty about what they would find in the Capitol with her family. She would deny it; would say her family would help them and she trusted them. But, he could see the niggling doubt in her mind.

He hadn't been exaggerating when he said her senses were waking up. She was becoming more aware. Even now, he could see it in her. She had changed so much. Her view of the world and universe was different. Gone was the innocence of believing she could continue to race across the fields near her home, visiting the Reverend Mother, have a say in who she married and enjoy a certain amount of freedom. She could see now that those were fantasies and the reality was she had no control, nor freedom. And now, she was even more at their mercy as she, along with him, were hunted.

"Rose, get some rest."

"We need to keep moving," she responded although shifted from foot to foot almost stumbling.

"You're exhausted. We've been on the run nonstop. Rest. I'll fix the boat and wake you up when we're ready to go."

She stared at him for a long time before finally nodding and turning toward the shady tree where she had left the packs and her coat. She made a make shift bed with the packs as her pillow beneath the drooping branches of the shade tree. It was like her own personal shady sanctuary lying amongst the fallen leaves, the branches gently swaying in the wind giving her glimpses of the Doctor repairing the boat on the rocky shore of the river.

Eventually, sleep claimed her. She dreamed. The Lycan was with her, curled about her protectively. Rose ran her hands through its cinnamon coloured fur. The scent of night blooming jasmine was carried by the gentle breeze.

She was in the Pythia temple gardens and she heard the Reverend Mum humming nearby. She stood up, feeling the gentle wisp of her long, white cotton dress against her calves. It was the simple shift she wore in the summer at home during her mother's tea parties. Her hair was tied up in an elaborate braided design her mother liked. She stepped toward the temple. The Lycan softly growled but didn't move.

The garden glowed in the moonlight. Some of the Fritallaris from the meadow were fluttering near her. She shivered. Her feet were bare and sunk into the soft dew covered grass as she made her way through the garden, crickets chirping as she ran her fingers along delicate white blossoms peeking out amongst the green leaves of the manicured shrubbery.

She stepped onto a stone path that led to a sitting area, surrounded by bushes dotted with vermillion miniature roses. The Reverend Mum stood facing away from her, gazing up at the stone temple set into the mountain. Several long robed men and women swept by her as if she wasn't there and surrounded the Reverend Mum, her silver hair shining in the moonlight. She turned toward Rose smiling, her blue robes rustling softly as she moved.

"It has come to pass. They know it and so do you. Everything changes. Nothing is static. Time is still in flux. Listen to your heart. Trust your instincts. Temper the storm and embrace your destiny, my beloved student, Lady Rose, daughter of Gallifrey," she said with a peaceful smile.

"Reverend Mum," Rose whispered as she saw the robed people surround the Reverend Mum holding up their arms. She recognized some of them. They were heads of some of the more powerful Houses: Omega, Heartshaven, Rattigan and many more. She knew some of these people and they were…

She gasped as the temple began to crumble and fall, almost like it was disintegrating into sand sifting downward and blowing away in the breeze. When she looked back, the Reverend Mum was gone. All that remained was sand and her blue robes sitting amongst a dead garden.

"No!" Rose said, gripping at her hair, tears streaking down her face as she watched the robed figures quietly walk away amongst the ruin they left behind. Gone was the beautiful temple and gardens and left in its place was rubble, sand, wilted and dying plants. A hot wind blew whirlwinds of dust around her bare feet, coating her white dress and the sky glowed with fire as everything came to dust…

Rose jerked awake shaking and gasping. The suns were setting and shadows were lengthening their embrace of the forest. She peeked out between the curtain of branches to see the boat moored in the water but she couldn't see the Doctor. Panic struck deep through her. What if the dream was real? What if he was erased? Her hands gripped the dried and decaying leaves around her as she tried to calm herself. No, if he was erased, she wouldn't remember him…would she? A branch snapped nearby and a bird flew out from a nearby tree, squawking in alarm. Rose tensed and reached for her knife, her fingers gripping the hilt and prepared to do what she had to in order to survive.

The Doctor walked out of the forest with some plants and fruits in his arms. Her eyes met his and she calmed. Quickly she pulled herself together, and made her way out into the clearing, bringing the packs with her.

"Thought I'd let you get some rest. Best we travel at night anyway. Less chance we run into river traffic," he said whilst setting down the meal he'd gathered. He watched her. She seemed spooked and moved slowly toward him, staring off into the distance.

He focused on preparing their meal, leaving her to her thoughts and hoping she would talk to him when she was ready. He'd repaired the boat quickly, leaving her to sleep and went foraging. He needed to do that, do something productive.

He was wound up tight. He still remembered nothing of his madness in the meadow other than the memories Rose shared with him. It chilled him. He had lost control. Rose had saved him. That would stay with him for a long time. He never wanted to put her in that position again. In fact, he resolved it would never happen again.

As Rose was a different woman, so was he a different man. He was still a warrior and determined to punish those that had destroyed his former life and erased his family. But, he was tempered as well. Rose had done that, helped him see that life goes on and that not all of it was bad.

There could still be good in the world despite the changes made by those with evil and immoral intents. But, that was also the reason he needed to fight. He had to protect that good, people like Rose. It was a fine line he walked – protecting the innocent whilst unmaking the evil done to this world. Was he even capable of such a task? How could he tell what was right versus wrong and who was he to judge? That sat in his conscious like a slowly building storm. It wasn't all defeat the enemy; and defeating a very clever and powerful enemy was a difficult enough task.

Both of them were worried about their pursuers, those in power who could seemingly rewrite this world, and they wondered what was their opponent's next move? Had they broadcast any alerts about them? The truth was, encountering anyone had to be perceived as dangerous. They ate quietly. He had found some wild root vegetables and ripe berries in the forest. They still didn't want to build a fire and draw attention to themselves. Rose didn't mention her dream to the Doctor.

Darkness fell around them and the sky filled with stars; clouds of nebulas appeared. The Doctor watched Rose gaze upward as if seeking some sign that their journey would end well. He knew her sleep was fitful and suspected she had experienced another vivid dream but still didn't want to push her. He scooted over and rested a hand on her shoulder. She shifted closer to him and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her gently on the temple as they gazed at the night sky.

"One day I'll take you there," he murmured into her hair.

"Yeah?" she said softly and unsure, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Yes," he replied decisively. "I will. I'll take you to the Horsehead Nebula."

He pointed to an area of space. "See, there's this plasma storm brewing. Fires are burning, ten million miles wide. I could fly us right into the heart of it. Then we'll ride the shock wave all the way out. Hurtle right across the sky, and end up anywhere, go anywhere you want."

"Sounds amazing," she breathed and closed her eyes as if seeing it.

"As amazing and fantastic as you," he promised and pulled her tight into his arms. She turned into his chest and snuggled against him, gripping him hard enough her nails bit into his shoulders.

He held her and rocked her for a while, promising her it would be all right, that they would be all right and that all this would end soon. He luxuriated in holding her as much as she needed this contact with him. When he held her, he really believed they'd succeed, make it the city and fix the temporal disaster he knew was coming. He focused on that thought.

Eventually, Rose pulled away and stared into his eyes almost diving deep into his soul with her gaze. In the blink of an eye, she yanked him to her and slammed her mouth against his in a hungry and demanding kiss. She shoved him back on the leaf and grass covered ground and straddled him, grinding her pelvis against him, biting down on his bottom lip and moaning as she desperately worked her body against his.

He knew they shouldn't be doing this. It was dangerous and careless. They could be seen or caught. Not to mention he wasn't sure she had truly recovered from what happened to them in the meadow. Feeling her against him though, so fierce and demanding and along with the emotions that flared through their bond, how could he deny her? She needed this; needed to feel blood pumping through her veins; needed the feel of him against her to affirm they were alive and together and perhaps he did too. He tried to wrap his arms around her but she wouldn't let him. She sat up, her eyes reflecting something fierce and determined.

She shoved his shoulders back and he rested his hands at her waste allowing her to set the pace, to be in control. And that was the point. She needed to be in control of something even if it was him and he could give her that…wanted to give her that.

She slid her hands down across his leather breast plate until she reached his tight trousers. Her fingers danced across the bulge until she soon unfastened and freed his hard length. She grasped him, her fingers trailing up down and around him.

"Rose," he moaned and arched up. She paused and licked her lips. "Give me this. Give me this one night before we have to…" She looked up at the stars and lowered her head down, her eyes closed. When she opened them, he swore he saw the nebulas from the night sky swirling their depths. "I just need you," she said in a soft raspy voice.

He made short work of her leather trousers tugging them down as she leaned back to slide off her boots. They wasted no more time. She guided him into her wetness, ready and wanting of him. She gasped and bit her lip as he filled her, sheathed inside of her deeply.

His large calloused hands gripped her hips as she rocked into him. She held his hands in place as she moved whispering encouragements, curses and how much she loved him. Their skin slickened with their efforts; rhythm and heat built up in her as she moved, feeling him thick and hitting her in the places she needed him most. The bond between the flared hot and desire and lust mixed between them.

She threw her head back and cried out as she felt her body spasm around him. He grunted and cried out her name soon after his fingers digging into her hips. Panting and sated she collapsed on top of him, her bare legs, rubbing against his leather trousers as she nuzzled into his scruffy bearded neck.

He wrapped her in his arms and looked up at the sky enjoying this quiet moment. It couldn't last though. They needed to keep moving. "Rose."

"I know, we need to leave."

"I'm sorry. You don't know how much I wish we could stay, find a cabin somewhere away from all the danger and turmoil. Somewhere just for us."

"With a big metal tub and lots of nice smelling soap," she murmured, smiling into his neck.

He laughed. "Yeah, could do with that," he agreed and rubbed a hand across his beard. "After we have all this mess settled. I promise you at least a week of lounging around, baths filled with fancy bubbles and nothing but soft beds."

Rose leaned up and arched a brow at him. "Funny how all those things sound like they involve being naked."

"Well, now that you mention it…"

She giggled. It was a sound he hadn't heard from her in a while and it was a relief. He needed to see her smile and watch her eyes sparkle like that. They spent a few more precious moments enjoying each other before dressing and cleaning up for more river travel.

They continued on for two more days, traveling by night, resting during the day. Sometimes, they'd turn off the motor and paddle by sleeping villages so as not to alert anyone to their presence. Many times they felt observed although they never encountered anyone on the river. They knew, though, that it was impossible for them to make it to the city without someone knowing. It was only a matter of time before they had to face a confrontation.

The Doctor navigated them toward the river bank a few kilometers before they reached the Capitol worrying about the sort of greeting they'd receive dressed in leather and looking like a couple of wild things, especially in such a sophisticated city. He suggested they travel on foot the rest of the way, again trying to avoid as many people as possible. Rose wanted to go directly to her family home. The Doctor refused. The two stubbornly butted heads.

On the bank of the river, having eaten little and bathed even less, two rough looking travelers shouted, gestured with their hands, huffed and paced around each other. Finally, and with much reluctance, Rose agreed to the Doctor's plan. They couldn't just swan into the Capitol looking as they did. They needed to freshen up and look the part of city dwellers or risk being refused entry or captured and imprisoned. Rose couldn't argue with that logic.

They stayed off the road and passed a few homes. One was vacant and the Doctor decided it was time to liberate a few items for their use.

Rose crossed her arms as she watched him drop his pack behind a tree and dart across an open space to the darkened stone residence. She watched the blue tip of his sonic glow in the just dawning light as he slipped inside. She fidgeted wondering if she should have gone in with him. Another part of her was uncomfortable with his pension for "borrowing" necessary items from unsuspecting people. Her conscious was at war with her need. The closer they were to the city, the more she thought about acceptable behaviour and thieving was definitely not acceptable.

He darted out of the dark house, his arms full of clothing and other items. He shoved the clothes at her. "Here. I saw a pond a bit back. We can pretty up there and then make our way into town."

Rose sighed and looked at the clothing. It smelled so good. She didn't realize how much she longed to be in clean clothes until that moment. She trudged silently behind him to the pond. Sunlight sparkled on the clear water and Rose found all the reticence and guilt at stealing their wardrobe quickly fleeing. Both stripped down and the Doctor tossed her a bar of soap. Rose brought up to her nose and inhaled the clean scent of jasmine, almost groaning in pleasure at the thought of a bath after days on the run.

The cold spring water of the pond was refreshing as she scrubbed herself down and washed her hair. So immersed in the wondrous feeling of being clean, she ignored the Doctor's flirtatious comments about needing help scrubbing his back. He pouted when she ignored him. She finally turned to him, soap in hand and looked him up and down and hummed.

"I dunno. Looks like you're doing a good job on your own. Kind of like the view, watching you do all that manly scrubbing."

"I'd scrub a lot harder with you over here," he flirted back.

"I'll bet you would!" she said, laughing as she walked out of the water to dry off. In any other circumstances she'd have been all over him but they were so close to civilization and she wanted to stay focused.

Just because she agreed with him about cleaning up and taking their time walking into the city, didn't mean she hadn't lost her determination; or, her opinion on how to proceed, what they needed to do or that she wanted to see her family sooner rather than later. There would be time for sexy bath fun later, at least she hoped there would be. There was still that niggling doubt and a thread of fear at the back of her mind that things were about to fall apart.

If she thought her bath was delightful, actually pulling a comb through her unbound, clean wet hair was heaven if not a lot of work. It was amazing how knotted and tangled her long blond tresses were after being braided for so long. Eventually the Doctor walked over to her, now dressed in black trousers, a fitted burgundy shirt and long black coat. He'd used his sonic to finally shave and trimmed his hair. He was looking more the Doctor she was used to with sparkling blue eyes and smooth handsome face. She reached up and ran a palm over his cheek.

"Missed seeing you like this."

He wrapped his fingers around her wrist, his thumb caressing her pulse point and pulled her hand away to kiss her palm. "Let me help you."

She sat in the sun, wearing cream coloured trousers and loose fitting dark blue top, with a rounded neckline revealing a hint of her bosom. He took his time, running the comb through her hair, using his fingers to massage and unknot any tangles until her hair was dry and falling about her shoulders and down her back in waves and soft curls.

He gazed at her a moment, not used to seeing her like this, dressed like a fine lady, her hair loose and soft. Again he wondered what he'd done to deserve her and how wrong it was that he had tainted her life with his own. She deserved better than he could give her. A new plan formed in his mind, one where he took her home and left her with her family whilst he took on the burden of resolving the temporal manipulations and faced off against their enemies.

He didn't take into account their bond or how well she read him. "Stop it!" she snapped in annoyance and began sweeping her hair up in some impossible style that was the norm for city dwellers. "We're going to my family and asking my father for help and we are fixing this together. No leaving anyone behind." She turned and looked him hard in the eyes. "You promised you wouldn't leave me!" she reminded him with a fierce look and a firm tone to her voice.

He nodded and began gathering their things unable to look at her. Again, he was amazed. She was so strong and determined and…she loved him. It was still so hard to accept and yet he felt an inner satisfaction and strength from feeling that love given to him freely. She was his and he was hers and the universe be damned.

By the time they left the pond, packs over their shoulders, they looked polished and like a true aristocratic couple. They strolled into the city and mixed amongst the crowd with no problems. No one stopped or stared at them. Everything seemed normal. No one appeared concerned or worried about anything. Anyone, that is, except them.

For Rose, it was like any other day she'd been in the city but for the Doctor, it was an entirely different experience. It was jarring. He hadn't been around his own people in decades. His eyes darted everywhere. The sounds, scents and commotion were almost too much. Laughter, angry rants and just everyday conversations reverberated around him. He felt his time sense prickling. So many sensations; so many people, all alive, vibrant, racing forward in their own personal time lines.

Strange stone and glass buildings stretched up into the orange sky. New technologies buzzed by him. Strange animals he'd never seen scurried down the streets. The city pulsed with energy. It grated at him in its wrongness. He paused and closed his eyes attempting to buffer it and protect himself.

"Doctor," Rose called out softly, reaching for him through their bond and squeezing his hand. His eyes popped open to see her gazing at him with concern. She smiled softly and with encouragement.

"Come on. It's not much further. Next right and we'll be on our way out of the city toward my home."

He nodded and allowed her to lead him. He felt dazed by all that existed there; how it existed; how it shouldn't be; or should be different. He marveled at it; was repulsed; and felt fear at these changes.

It was a sign. This was what he was meant to repair. These were the people who would live or die at his hands. This was the cost. He felt sick. How could he do this? Should he do this? Was there another way?

Rose led him from the city whilst his mind raced with these thoughts. But, that wasn't the only thing he was contemplating. They were being watched. He was now more sure of that than ever. This wasn't a dangerous forest. The beasts that hunted here were far more clever and lethal. He tightened his laced fingers around Rose's hand. The hardened warrior was there within him. His eyes became shards of ice. His body tensed prepared to be the weapon it needed to be.

Rose led him on. They left the bustle of the city and were on a road lined with fields of red grass and grazing horses. He didn't relax and his mind didn't ease. In fact, he felt even more on guard. Rose on the other hand, seemed almost peaceful. She was the calm to his storm. One would think she wasn't worried. That would be a wrong assumption.

The closer they were to her home, the more she tensed. The dream of the Reverend Mother wouldn't leave her. Deep down, she knew it was important and relevant. And, it had to do with returning home. The Reverend Mum had once mentioned that Rose would face many temporal nexus points in her life and wouldn't be easy but she had to face them. Everything in her screamed this was one such point.

Walking toward her home was like trudging through thick sludge, sinking further into the muck feeling its slimy grasp at her feet as they drew closer to her home. Still, it was home. Her mother, father and brother were there. There was warmth and familiarity. She couldn't allow the heavy and burdensome feeling to overwhelm her. She had to face this.

Would they be welcomed? Would her arrival surprise them? Or, was she putting her family in danger as she and the Doctor had discussed. There was only one way to find out. The answer lay in the tall, rectangular beige structure rising up on the horizon before them. Rose's heart beat faster as she took in her home, its tall columned entrance and gardens that led up to the impressive multi story home set against the mountains in the distance.

She pulled the Doctor with her as her gate increased. She knew he was nervous but now that she saw home, she could think of nothing more other than racing up the steps and throwing the front door open. However, time and experience had tempered the once impulsive child she was and she held back. Instead of sprinting forward, she walked up at a brisk pace with the Doctor at her side, grasping his hand like a life line.

Having been on the run and hunted, it was automatic for her to scan the area, looking for those who would harm her, the Doctor or her family. She still wore her dagger, hidden beneath her clothing. Back in civilization she may be, but she couldn't forget the hard lessons in the Death Zone - Not everything is as harmless as it appears and death or pain waits in the dark corners and unexpected places.

She paused at the door and looked at the Doctor. He had been silent. He was tense and mistrustful of everything. She saw and felt that in him. And, she couldn't blame him. She squeezed his hand once more and smiled bravely before she opened the door and they walked in.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning: A character often portrayed as good or nice in a lot of fanfic turns out to be not so nice in this fic. Thanks for reading!

The interior of the house was made of the same type of beige stone as the exterior only lighter in colour. There were many tall glassed windows allowing the sunlight to bounce off of the polished white stone floors. A sound of pounding footsteps approaching echoed along the tall ceilings of the minimally furnished room they had walked into. The Doctor tensed. Rose's breath caught when her young ginger haired brother, Tony, raced across the great room toward her.

"Rose!" he shouted.

Rose let go of the Doctor's hand to welcome an enormous hug from her eight year old brother who had already grown taller since she'd last seen him.

"They said you were gone forever!" he said, his voice muffled, buried in her neck. "But I knew better! I told Father you were too stubborn and strong for that! They'd been looking everywhere for you! What happened? You've been gone for months! Why did you go?" he asked, his blue eyes almost accusing.

Before she could answer, there was a gasp and Rose's mother raced toward them. The Doctor stood back observing this reunion. Thus far, he saw nothing that concerned him. Lady Jackie was an older more fanciful version of Rose, her blond hair styled immaculately on her head and her light pink dress floating around her as she raced toward her daughter. There were tears streaming down her face as she embraced and cried out Rose's name over and over again.

When they parted she looked at him and her mother's eyes hardened. "Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?" she demanded, every inch the Gallifreyan lady, shooting him hard accusing looks as she shoved Rose and Tony behind her.

"Mother, stop it! This is the Doctor and he saved me, more than I can say. He's a good man, an important man. Be nice to him!"

Lady Jackie sniffed. "Important. If he's so important why don't I know him." She turned to Rose. "We combed the woods for weeks, found your horse dead, shot. Your father said he was sure you were kidnapped but we never heard any word from anyone. Rose, where have you been?"

"It's a long story. Where's father? We all need to sit down and talk about this."

"Oh, you know your father, always working." She looked at Rose and shook her head. "Oh, just look at you! You're so thin and your complexion, so dark and weathered!" She reached up and touched Rose's face tutting and fussing. "Well, you're home now and we'll get you back to normal. Nothing like a good cup of tea, to help you feel at home." Lady Jackie then shooed Tony back to his studies and ushered Rose and the Doctor into a sitting room, ordering tea and cakes from a servant and still looking askance at the Doctor who sat down in a decorative chair looking uncomfortable and fidgety.

Just as they were nibbling on cakes and sipping tea, Lord Pete Tyler rushed into the room followed by an entourage of people. His eyes focused on Rose and then moved to the Doctor. He was dressed in formal scarlet robes and unlike his wife, did not immediately rush over to Rose. He was reserved, assessing the situation and finally seemed to make a decision. He walked over to Rose who stood up.

"Father," Rose said with an emotional catch in her voice.

"Rose," he responded, still staring at her like he couldn't believe she was there. Rose embraced him and he wrapped his arms around her stiltedly and unsure. When Rose pulled back, he grasped her hands. "Are you well? Do you need medical assistance?" he asked.

"I'm fine. The Doctor," she said and indicated the Doctor who sat nearby, he nodded, his blue eyes boring into Pete Tyler.

Rose either didn't notice or chose to ignore the Doctor's silence. "He saved me, Father, and brought me home. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him. I owe him my life."

"Do you now," her father stated and met the Doctor's gaze. The two men were calculating each other, determining strengths and weaknesses. They were both strong and powerful men - Pete Tyler more politically and with a highly regarded and well placed family; the Doctor, with age, knowledge and his ability to sense and work with time. It was not friendly between them. Nor was it respectful. They were clearly adversaries and each knew it.

Rose began to feel the tension between them. The best way to resolve it was to tell her story. She quickly began with her kidnapping, awakening in prison and trials in the Death Zone and ending with their trip back to the Capitol. Her mother gasped a few times and teared up. Rose didn't tell them everything but enough to make an impact. She made sure they knew the Doctor was the one to help her escape and that he had useful knowledge. Something inside of her warned not to use the name House Tardis nor mention the Chronoweaver. That was best left for a more private conversation with her father.

Lord Pete and his advisors stood stoically, listening and nodding their heads. At the conclusion of her story, her father clasped his hands behind his back paced a few steps and seemed to reach a conclusion. He turned to Rose. "Your kidnapping was not random. Lord Van Statten from House Torchwood took offense to my response to his overtures for a match between his nephew, Adam to you."

"What?" Lady Jackie shouted and stood up, tea cup in hand, splashing tea on her long pale pink gown. "You said nothing to me of this!" she accused.

Lord Pete looked at his wife with little emotion. "There was nothing to say. Van Statten refused to reveal Rose's location. The actions of he and his family have been addressed. House Torchwood is no longer a concern for anyone."

He turned to Rose with the first hint of emotion, relief and a touch of admiration. "Rose has shown herself to be superior, besting their heinous efforts to destroy her and our House. Strength, fortitude and an innate cunning thwarted them. It will be a long time before anyone dares threaten us again. Rose survived what many would consider horrific and unspeakably primitive and dangerous circumstances. She is to be commended and recognized and I shall see that she is."

He turned his attention to the Doctor. "My family owes you our gratitude, Doctor. We shall, of course, reward you for your services to our Rose."

Perhaps it was her father's tone of voice or maybe it was that subtle feeling Rose now felt around anyone she passed, that energy they exerted; or, maybe it was just that her father was being rude in the most polite ways possible. No, rude was wrong. He was being arrogant and condescending. Rose wouldn't stand for it.

The Doctor stood up setting his tea cup down with a bang. He looked at Rose, his eyes fiery with indignation. He turned back to her father.

"I don't need any reward. Being around Rose is the only reward I need or want. You should count yourself lucky you have her as a daughter. She is more than remarkable. She's the highest and most noble lady I've ever had the privilege to meet. You could learn a lot from her." He turned to Rose. "Think I'll be making my way out now. Enjoy your reunion."

"No!" Rose said firmly. "You're not going anywhere!"

She shot her father a glare and turned back to the Doctor, her jaw set and pointing at him. "You're staying. We didn't race across the desert, mountains and river just for you to sip tea and bugger off. You can just sit yourself down and have a spot of tea with my mother. Father and I need to have a private conversation. I expect you here when I get back," she said with emphasis.

After issuing her orders and watching the Doctor slowly sit back down, staring up at her in part shock and part amusement, she turned to her father who wasn't quite sure who he was looking at. This was not the same daughter he knew. She was confidant, commanding and wouldn't be told what to do. She looked him in the eye with an expectation that he listen to her. She walked to the doorway with her head held high. She glanced back at him as if annoyed he wasn't following her. "Father?" she asked with an arched brow.

Lord Pete's jaw clenched. This wasn't what he was accustomed to. He was the Head of this House and soon to be leader of all the Houses of Gallifrey. He did not get ordered about by his own daughter. He reluctantly followed her, shooting one more warning look at the Doctor who sat back looking far more confident than before. Lord Pete didn't like that and was determined to reclaim control of this situation and deal with this…Doctor.

He exited in a flurry of dark red robes and followed Rose to his private study. Lady Jackie, now sitting upright at attention, watched her daughter take charge and ordered Lord Pete's assistants away. Lady Jackie had run this house for many years. Her marriage had been a good match in many ways. She genuinely loved Pete Tyler; he was a good provider; a handsome husband; smart, strong and not afraid to take risks. He had done well for their family. He also was not perfect and she knew this all too well. But, then Lady Jackie was not quite the passive, compliant and domestic lady everyone thought she was either. Her husband along with his friends had underestimated her.

She directed her gaze at the Doctor who shifted in his chair but didn't look away. He'd just watched Rose be magnificent and stand up to a man he saw as more politician than father. Now, he was alone with her mother. Lady Jackie's suspicious angry gaze shot throw him like a laser gun. He would rather have faced ten Lord Pete's to this Lady who he suspected was far more dangerous.

"I'm going to be as direct as I can be, Doctor. I know right now my daughter thinks the world of you. You helped her out of an unimaginable situation." She set her tea cup down and leaned toward him, her eyes narrow and she aimed an intimidating finger at him. "But don't you think for even a minute you're going to use her for your own gain."

He bristled and his fingers tightened on the delicate white tea cup in his hand. He had no doubt she was a fierce mother and after all she had produced Rose. But, part of him couldn't ignore that she was also a product of an artificially engineered society and a corrupt one.

"That's what you think, that I'm using your daughter. Lady Jackie, maybe you don't know you're daughter as well as you think," he responded, his tone hard and accusatory determined to show Rose's mother he wasn't one to be cowed by a disapproving glare.

"I do know her, longer than the likes of some criminal she ran into in a prison! She's always been one to pick up strays and to rebel against her teachers and father. She's young and impulsive and right now she likes being with you, a rogue who will no doubt cause problems for everyone. She thinks it's romantic and proves she's independent and grown up but that will soon fade now that she's home and can see who you really are!"

"And who do you think that is, My Lady? You think me a criminal? Well maybe I am. After all I'm the one that stood against those that would control this world!" he shouted and shot up and began pacing. He whipped around and stormed over to her but she didn't back down. She stood up to him and in that moment, he saw some of Rose in her.

"You don't know Rose like you think," he said more calmly but with no less conviction. "She saved me, Lady Jackie. I may have taught her a few skills but it was her that saved my life, even when I told her not to, to worry about herself. She wouldn't hear of it. She faced more and fought harder, much harder than she told you. Rose Tyler can do anything she wants to do. She is worth ten times any lady out there in that fine city you call a capitol. She's smarter, stronger and has the courage to stand up for her convictions. No matter how much you argue with her and try and convince her to…" He trailed off in his passionate explanation and turned away from Lady Jackie, facing a wall decorated with a red and beige tapestry as he tried to compose himself.

He turned around calmer. "Rose is the best person I know and I won't stand here and let you suggest she's some misbehaving child."

Lady Jackie looked at him intensely, her face not revealing anything. In fact, it was odd that he couldn't get any indication of emotion or intent from her. How was she doing that? Then it occurred to him again, she was Rose's mother. Things began to click in his mind.

She walked over to him and crossed her arms. "I know what's best for my daughter."

"Do you?" he asked softly. "Do you really know what she wants?"

"More so than you know," she responded with a nod and a certainty that disturbed. "Now you sit!" she ordered and pointed to a chair. "Now that we've got the pleasantries out of the way and I know the type of man you are, it's time for you to listen to what I have to say."

The Doctor sat, unsure of what all her previous accusations had been about. She seemed almost resigned to accept him as something other than a stray her daughter dragged home. He suspected he just passed some strange test proctored by the demanding matriarch of this house. He focused on this lady, watching as she sat next to him and poured tea. He felt the time lines whipping about her. _Pythia_ whispered through his mind. Rose was a descendant…through Lady Jackie. Things were moving quickly now.

As he looked over at the great lady of House Vitex, he could see the essence of sadness reflected in her eyes as she handed him his cup of tea. _She knew_. It was all he could think. This protective mother that he had assumed was nothing more than a figurehead was so much more and she knew something was coming. He shut his eyes tight as the weight of that thought wrapped around him. She began to speak and he listened as she revealed what she knew to be and what she saw.

Lady Jackie, Rose's mother, a descendent of the Pythia and matriarch of House Vitex was part of his destiny. It was a bitter pill to swallow as she told him an old story that had been passed down to her from her mother. It was something she hadn't wanted to believe much less that her daughter would be a part of it. It was a legend about his House. This knowledge, that she disclosed only to him, to help him and Rose on their path would only make what had to be done that much harder.

dwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdw

Meanwhile in the study, Lord Pete stood off in front of a wall of windows staring out, his gaze focused on the mountains.

"I thought you were dead," he finally said, his voice carefully neutral.

Rose's confidence had ebbed slightly upon entering the study. This was her father's private place and a room that she only ever entered to discuss matters of family importance such as her future or when she was in trouble for some rebellious or socially unacceptable behaviour. The solemnity of the large room dominated by her father's shiny black desk and decorated with various important artefacts from her father's family, made her feel like a young girl about to face a lecture. Then again, as she gazed at these allegedly important pieces of history, she couldn't help but wonder: Were they even real or just some remnant of someone's design?

She walked up to her father's desk as he spoke to her and stared down at her reflection. Many difficult decisions had been made here. Today, even more difficult decisions would be made. She looked over at her father as she absorbed his words and tone. He wasn't exactly conveying his concern for her. In fact, she felt a chill down her spine. Something was so wrong here. A cold suspicion trickled through her veins as she nervously tucked her hair back her ear and watched her father.

"Disappointed?" she asked softly.

Lord Pete whipped around, glaring at her. "Of course not! You are my daughter! An important member of this family," he retorted sharply, his eyes blazing with anger. "Those Van Stattens practically bragged to me that they'd seen to it you would meet a gruesome fate. None of them would ever reveal exactly where you were, only that it was a place of nightmares where I'd never find you."

"Yeah, they got that right," she admitted, nodding her head staring at round crystal globe on his desk. She looked up, a light in her eyes. "But then I found the Doctor."

Lord Pete's face hardened. "That man may have rescued and returned you home, and I am grateful, but that's where it ends. You are a Tyler of House Vitex. Your first duty is to our house. Never forget that or confuse gratitude to this…man with duty to family and House. He was a tool, a means of escape. That is all."

She took a few steps toward her father. "You're wrong. He's much more than that."

"Do not allow these…feelings, you harbour for him to confuse your purpose, your true path. You are a Lady, destined to preside over a great House of Gallifrey, not run about the countryside with some…mercenary," her father lectured, gesturing with his hands for emphasis.

Rose felt her anger simmering beneath the surface. She began to pace in her agitation. "He's not a mercenary. He's a high Lord of Gallifrey, one from our past that everyone thought lost and I'll thank you to not pretend you understand my feelings. How could you? You weren't there fighting for your life like I was, like he was with me. You learn a lot about a man when you face death continuously and watch people die in front of you. It teaches you what's important, how to tell what's true and how to read people."

"Are you daring to lecture me?" he asked, his shoulders squared up and appearing every inch the intimidating Lord of the House.

Rose wasn't going to back down. "No, I'm telling you what happened to me and what I know about the Doctor. I know that like me, he was tossed in there by people with a political agenda. I know that he's intelligent, brilliant even, and knows far more about our history than anyone. I know that every day he had to fight for his life knowing what his people had done. He was the one that watched as this world was reshaped, his family and friends erased by corrupt lords and ladies of Gallifrey. He was there as innocent beings from throughout space and time were taken and brought here, forced to fight for their lives in some disgusting and perverted entertainment. You lecture me on my emotions and purposes? What about those who lack ethics or morals and are accountable to no one. What of them, Father?

"They are not my daughter or your concern. I will deal with what happened to you as I see fit!"

Rose didn't like how he was responding. "Then maybe you should start listening to the Doctor instead of treating him like some lower class servant not good enough to step into our home. Because he's not, he's better. And he knows what's really going on and you know why? Cause he was there when it all went wrong. These people have been manipulating us, Father. It started with the fall of Pythia…"

"Enough!" he shouted. "This Doctor has been filling your head with nonsense," Lord Pete accused. "You're the one that's being manipulated, daughter. You've been through too much and it's affected your analytical abilities. Clearly, you need rest and to be around civilized people to remember who you are," he continued arrogantly almost dismissing her as he strolled toward his desk.

Rose felt her temper reach the boiling point. She was no overwrought fragile girl. "You're not hearing me! Someone's mucking about with time. I've seen it through him and I've seen one of the devices they use. Don't you dare tell me I'm not thinking straight when I've seen so much. He is Lord Doctor from House Tardis, the lost House of Gallifrey, the Wandering House, the Traveling House that's in all the myths. Everyone's heard of it but until now there's been no proof. Well, Father, the proof is in your sitting room and he has quite the convincing story to tell. He was there, he fought what was happening and he…"

"What?" Her father shouted slamming his fist down on his desk. "Bore the results of his meddling? He interfered in matters greater than him or his family!"

Rose's eyes widened. He wasn't surprised or shocked. "Dear and holy Gallifrey, you know," she breathed out. "You more than know don't you," she whispered, staring at her father's arrogant and hard expression and finally realizing who this man before her was. "You're one of them."

"You do not understand," he said in a calmer voice.

"Oh, I understand all right. You knew all along. Of course you did. You're about to be elected head of all the Houses of Gallifrey. You had to know because they made you. They made you powerful and you owe them," she said, shaking her head, her hands tangling in her hair as the horrifying truth of her father's betrayal sank deep into her bones, jarring her to the core.

"We owe them," he corrected and walked around the desk toward her. "Do you think you would have all you do without my political connections? We do what we must for a better Gallifrey. I do not expect a rebellious and ungrateful daughter to understand."

He paused, looking her up and down, sneering. "You thought I didn't know when you slipped away to some Pythia temple where they corrupted your mind and ideals with their mysticism and witchcraft! I allowed you that freedom hoping you would see it for what it was! And, that you would realize the logic of family position and placement, settle down and accept your station, a station I worked hard to negotiate for you despite your lack of discipline."

He began pacing. "Everything was in place. Your marriage to House Borusa, solidifying our alliance with them and other like minds; your brother's acceptance into the Academy and with honours and acclaim. my ascendance to lead the great Houses and in a place to make real change! And it would have worked if those jealous idiot Van Stattens at House Torchwood hadn't interfered, took you and put you in with that outlaw!" He inhaled and turned around, trying to calm himself.

"It's not all lost. What was done can be undone. It's a simple matter."

Rose knew immediately what he intended. "No!"

"Don't worry, daughter, you won't feel a thing or even remember. All of this unpleasant and disreputable affair will never have happened. House Torchwood's actions have caused complications and annoyed the wrong people, powerful people who will want this matter settled. When this is resolved you will be a dutiful and happily married lady. That, I promise you."

"The hell I will!" Rose shouted and turned to run. She opened the door but her father was behind her and slammed it shut. "You can't run from this. It's already started."

Rose turned and shoved him hard against the cold stone wall, surprising him with her strength. She drew on her bond to the Doctor and maybe even whatever force she tapped into that had connected her to the Lycan. Her eyes reflected golden brown. "You're right. I won't be running. I'm going to stop it. You should have been paying closer attention to me, Father. I'm not that weak girl that raced across the fields and I'm gonna end this. No one has the right to control time and decide who lives and who dies. And, especially not when it destabilizes the web of time in the process. Your friends didn't tell you there'd be consequences did they? They didn't tell you that the only reason we're all here is that man having tea with Mother. He saved everyone that day, even as his own family was erased from time," she lectured in a firm voice, pressing him hard against the wall, her fingers digging into his shoulders. "No, I'm not running but you should be."

She took a step back as she directed a look of condemnation at her father.

"How dare you speak to me this way!" he shouted, taking a step toward her, fury in his eyes. A window behind them shattered as a large wolf leapt through, racing over to stand next to Rose. The massive Lycan bared its teeth and growled at Lord Pete.

Rose felt tears in her eyes as the wolf stood by her side. Her dream. It was happening and that could only mean it was time to end this.

She walked toward the door and looked back at her father who was staring at her like he'd never seen her before, finally seeing the truth instead of the lies spun by those who were using him.

"We're done here," she said and yanked the door open storming out, the Lycan at her side. She knew it wasn't over and there was much to be done. She felt more alive and aware than she ever had; and she felt her enemies closing in on them. She found the sitting room empty and cursed. She turned to find her mother staring at her in shock and fear but then there was something else. Her mother walked up to her unafraid of the Lycan.

"I'm sorry. Oh Rose, I'm so sorry."

Rose hugged her automatically, refusing to believe her mother had been any part of her father's plans.

"It's gonna be okay. Me and the Doctor will fix this."

Her mother pulled away, resting her hands on Rose's shoulders. "Your father came into power too fast. I knew it but I was just so happy for him and what it would mean for you and Tony. I just…I ignored what I was feeling. I didn't want to think…"

"It'll be okay. This can still be fixed," Rose promised her, seeing her mother as innocent in this and happy at least she had one parent who was still there, would be there for her.

Tears poured from her mother's eyes. "No Rose, it won't be, not like you think. I know you and your father think I can't see what's in front of me, that I'm just some figurehead focused on social standing and seeing to the running of the House but I see much more. Your father doesn't like to acknowledge it but he knows we come from Pythia. He thinks it's nothing more than a claim to a time long past but it's much more than that. And that's why I know you have to go now. I may not like it and worry…"

She paused, tears spilling out of her blue eyes. "I may not even like that Doctor of yours but I see…I see the truth and you need to do this, for you, for your brother and all those who will never be. Now go! Quick like before I change my mind!" she ordered, pulling Rose quickly down a hall and shoved her out a side door, the Lycan close to her side.

Rose stared at her mother standing in the doorway. Her world was once again shattered. Everything she knew and thought she knew to be true was a lie or a deception. Her mother was Pythia and she knew the truth and had kept silent. She couldn't help but wonder if any of her life had been real? She looked up at the house, now blurred by her own tears. She heard a noise behind her and turned to see the Doctor with their packs standing near a gate in the garden.

She turned back to her mother one more time and knew it may be the last time she saw her. "Mum, I…"

"I love you. No matter what, always remember that. Now go! Do what you have to." Her mother embraced Rose and shoved her away, turning to run back inside and shutting the door behind her with a quiet click, leaving Rose to the Doctor and a destiny that no longer included House Vitex or a family she now barely recognized.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was supposed to be the last chapter but didn't quite work out that way because I sort of wrote 8800 words LOL! There is a memory loss part at the end. I don't normally read memory loss stuff as it bothers me so this was a very tentative experiment. There is another chapter following this one. Sorry for the cliffie ending but it couldn't be helped. I promise to post the final chapter either tonight or tomorrow :) I promise it has a happy ending. Thanks again for reading!

_Her mother embraced Rose and shoved her away, turning to run back inside and shutting the door behind her with a quiet click, leaving Rose to the Doctor and a destiny that no longer included House Vitex or a family she now barely recognized._

Shock and heartbreak turned into numbness. Rose marched forward away from her family home focused on the Doctor standing at the garden gate. Her shoes crunched into the gravel path and her hands were clenched at her sides. She concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, unable to think about her father's actions or anything else.

At that moment, the outside world ceased to exist. She was oblivious to the beauty of the garden and didn't notice the purple lilacs growing along the walkway, their sweet cloying scent almost overwhelming in the afternoon heat. Nor did she hear the happy melody of a red breasted swallow as it sat in the branches of a silver leafed tree, singing and chirping as if the world was joyous and at peace. Rose's world was not at peace. Her world was broken. She could do nothing more than move forward. Her mind shut down to almost everything. The only thing she was aware of was the Doctor.

His face revealed nothing of what he was thinking. His posture was stiff and his solemn gaze focused only on Rose. As soon as she was near, he laced his fingers with hers and pulled her away through the old wrought iron gate before them. She tried to pause and look back at the house but he wouldn't let her.

"We have to move, Rose. There's no time for mourning or worrying about what's happened here. Our enemies know we're here."

"They know we're here," she thought to herself, and the icy prickling that had settled into her stomach shot through the rest of her body. Her father had threatened they would rewrite her time line. Her heart slammed in her chest, her palms coasted with perspiration and she felt panic set in.

The Doctor stopped and yanked her to him, sensing her distress through their bond. "Rose, look at me," he commanded, his blue eyes boring into her. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"They're gonna re-write me," she answered in a broken voice. "Doctor, my father, he's one of 'em." Tears welled up in her eyes. "He said…"

"Bugger what he said!" he shouted his large hands squeezing her shoulders and pulling her against his chest. "Not gonna let it happen," he affirmed, enunciating each word.

He pulled back and focused his gaze on her. "Now we have to move, Rose. We have to get to a place where we can work the Chronoweaver and then this will end."

Rose looked deep into his eyes and she could feel his own desperation. There was fierce determination reflected but also fear, the same fear she felt. She swallowed hard. He needed her and she needed to be focused. With a curt nod of her head, they kept moving until they reached a red grassed pasture with a few horses running free.

Rose knew this place. She whistled and clicked her tongue a few times. The horses snorted back at her in response. She strode into the pasture with the Doctor and soon they were mounting a grey dappled mare. Without another word, they were galloping toward the mountains, the Lycan not far behind them.

Neither of them spoke as the wind rushed by them and the suns sank closer to the horizon. Rose sat astride the horse with her back resting against the Doctor's chest. He was tense as his arms reached around her and gripped the horses white silky mane. His body was wrapped around hers and his thighs pressed against the sides of the horse. She adjusted her body to ride in unison with both the horse and the Doctor. The wind whipped at her face and the landscape was almost a blur as memories of what had just happened sped through her mind.

Her father had betrayed their people. Lust for power had consumed him. He didn't really care about her. Her family and her life were a lie. Everything was a lie. Her mother was not as she appeared. It was an odd thing how she could accept her father's misdeeds and unethical choices but her mother's deception, struck closer to her heart.

Lady Jackie Tyler had proven she was so much more than a mother, wife and revered lady. Rose hadn't given her mother enough credit; she had been so wrong about her. The truth was that Rose had been wrong about a great many things. Even so, her mother had always been her stability, the centre of her life.

When Rose had disagreements with her father; run afoul of teachers; or done something unbecoming a lady, her mother was there for her. Even in the most dire of circumstances in the Death Zone, she had felt a certain comfort in who her mother was and that she would return home to her. It was a child's need for security; to know that if she was hurt or in need of comfort, her mother would be there and be that warm presence she could rely on.

After everything that had transpired, Rose wondered about that security. It wasn't that her mother had betrayed her or the family. It was more about a lie, a pretty illusion that fooled everyone. But now, the truth of who her mother was deep down was revealed. Lady Jackie Tyler was so much more than people perceived. She was courageous, clever and capable of seeing what even the most powerful Time Lord was too arrogant to sense.

Rose shut her eyes for a moment, absorbing the details of what had happened while the Doctor guided their horse up an incline and closer to the tree line on the mountain. As she leaned back against him, feeling the horse shudder and struggle upward, Rose admitted to herself that her distress was mainly over her mother's withholding the truth from _her_.

Her' mother's words were still fresh in her mind. She had mention the Pythia; of knowing that Rose had to leave; about the truth and how Rose had to do this for her family and those who would never be. Her mother was Pythia.

She was Pythia too. Then her thoughts were drawn to what she didn't know. The Doctor had tea with her mother whilst she argued with her father. What had happened between them? He was already waiting outside as if he knew…

She paused. He was waiting for her. So was her mother. And now, he knew where he was going. He hadn't before. What had they talked about? What had her mother told him? She had to know.

The horse slowed as they climbed upwards through the forest, low hanging branches slapping at them and the sun disappeared in the silver leafed canopy. The Doctor clucked at the horse and jammed his boot-clad feet into its sides. It snorted, shook its head and whinnied.

"She can't take us any further," Rose informed him. The Doctor grunted in response and dismounted, reaching up for their packs as Rose slid off the horse and looked around at their location.

They were in the middle of a dense forest with no wildlife around them except birds flying from tree to tree and the buzz of insects.

"There's nothing much up this way unless you believe in fairy stories and ghosts," Rose commented, remembering stories from her childhood about the Toclafane, the Shakri or the temporal remnants of evil long since passed that were alleged to inhabit this place. She felt the temperature fall and clouds blow down from the higher elevations. Shivering, she wondered if some of those myths may be true. After all, she had come face to face with a Toclafane.

"There's no such thing as ghosts," the Doctor brusquely said and encouraged her to keep moving upward.

Rose shouldered her pack and watched him with suspicion. "Why are we heading up this way? Why here?"

He walked a few steps before answering, staring ahead as he climbed.

"Your mother told me a story."

Rose scampered up next to him and laid a hand on his arm. "What do you mean? What kind of story? What's this got to do with the Chronoweaver and how's it gonna help us stop my father and his friends from changing things?"

"We have to keep going, Rose. There's no more time. Your father won't dilly dally around and I'm not losing you."

"Fine, we keep going and you start talking," she answered, a hard look in her eyes as she trudged up the steep leaf covered slope.

"Your mother is Pythia," he began.

"Yeah, I know that. She said…" Rose paused, feeling emotions bubble up - sadness and fear for her mother. She cleared her throat as she stared out into the forest. "She said she knew what was happening and that she could see the truth." She turned back to the Doctor. "Did she tell you what that truth was? Is that why we're here?"

He looked at her and paused with an intensity in his eyes, as if he too saw some terrible truth. He squeezed her hand and then kept walking forward, his focus on some point in the distance as he began to speak to her.

"Lady Jackie told me she was Pythia. It wasn't something she advertised much. Your father knew and used it to his advantage as some heritage claim from a time long ago. He never took it seriously. He didn't believe in the Pythia, thought they were superstitious, ignorant women. He couldn't have been more wrong," the Doctor said with a touch of anger in his voice.

"Your history says the Pythia disappeared, that only a few mad women and stragglers were left and they weren't taken seriously. Truth is, not all the Pythia were destroyed. They saw this coming," he added.

Rose listened to this and her brow furrowed in concentration. "This all happened during the fall of the Pythia, when the time lines shifted. You said the Pythia tapped into their temporal senses and that they might have found something from the ancient times that helped them. So you're saying they used their abilities to look into the distant future?"

"They were clever," he said, nodding his head. "Saw all of it right down to the rotten core of those power hungry bastards who did this. They saw it, Rose, and they knew they couldn't stop it themselves, but they could still do something."

Rose felt a chill again. The Lycan reappeared in the woods ahead of them growling impatiently as if telling them to hurry up. They increased their pace.

"They planned something for the future," Rose whispered.

He nodded and shifted the pack on his shoulder. "They ran, hid, kept their beliefs alive not with records but by stories passed down from mother to daughter. One story was told to every descendant, the story of a man, a Lord of Time, of a great House of Gallifrey that disappeared in an hour of great need." He paused, grunting as he stretched up grasping some rocks and pulling himself upward to climb up and over a rock fall and then reached down to pull Rose up behind him. After adjusting their packs, they continued their trek.

"Doctor?" Rose prodded. She felt a sharp piercing pain like a needle inserted into her head and winced, reaching up and rubbing her temples. When she looked back at the Doctor, it was as if the world warped around him and she lost her balance.

"Rose!" he shouted and gripped her shoulders, fear reflected in his eyes.

"I'm all right," she said in a shaky voice.

"It's started. We have to hurry." He gripped her hand and began running, almost dragging her behind him.

"But you didn't finish," she gasped out.

He didn't respond at first, too intent on reaching their goal. They fell and slid in the fallen leaves a few times. Rose felt dizzy and nauseated. She felt like something was pulling at her. She remembered her dream, of her people trying to carve away her memories. Anger burned deep inside of her and she internally shouted _No_. They were trying to steal her life. Fury fuelled and reinvigorated her and it was she who was soon shoving the Doctor along.

The Lycan appeared, growling and its cinnamon coloured fur bristling. It led them through the woods until they emerged to behold the rocky face of the mountain. They stood in awe as they took in the rough and craggy rocky surface which had a structure built into it. Rose furrowed her brow and cocked her head to the side. No, it wasn't exactly built into the mountain. It was almost like the mountain was formed around the structure. She looked up at the Doctor wanting to question him but the words dissolved as she saw his face. There were tears in his eyes and he stared at the columned portico and archways of the structure extending out from the mountain. There was shock, horror and disbelief etched onto his face.

Rose squeezed his hand and looked back at the yellow and beige veined stone structure. It looked decrepit, old and worn by time. There were some vines growing up the columns past the stone steps which had crumbled and partially fallen away from what she assumed to be the foundation. The only thing that seemed untouched was the open doors. Rose reached out to the Doctor through their telepathic connection but was met by such overwhelming grief and despair she realized what she was looking at.

"House Tardis, The Traveling House," she whispered softly.

The Doctor stood still and unyielding as he stared at his home. It made sense. Both he and the Chronoweaver had fallen through time. Perhaps, as the structure broke around him in the Time Storm, other parts of it fell through time as well. Finding this was a reminder. Duty and a commitment to protect and preserve time were his first and foremost obligations. Here was his house, all that was left of his family. This is where it began. This is where it would end.

He shut his eyes tight as the ghosts of the past whispered in the recesses of his memory. His great grandfather's words: "Stop them; use the chronoweaver; save Gallifrey; do what must be done or we are all lost."

The memories bubbled forth searing him with anguish and bitterness. He would have drowned in that pain if it weren't for Rose standing by his side, whispering his name and reaching out telepathically to him. Her voice and presence were a salve to the pain that would have consumed him. He breathed in deeply and opened his eyes, looking again at the stone structure. The Lycan sat in the darkened doorway. It was another reminder. They had to do this quickly or he risked losing Rose.

He took a step forward, gripping Rose's hand like a vice. He could do this and this time, he wouldn't fail and wouldn't allow them to overwhelm him. This time he would not be alone. They walked quietly up to the structure and the Lycan disappeared inside. They climbed up the broken and half destroyed stone steps until they faced the darkened doorway. Rose wobbled and fell sideways into the Doctor.

He scooped her up into his arms and strode forth into the black depths of his home. He paused a moment for his eyes to adjust. He felt Rose reaching into his pockets and pull out his sonic screwdriver and activate the torch mode.

He looked down at her in his arms. "Rose?"

"I can feel them doing something. Why do I feel it, Doctor?" she asked almost innocently.

"Because…" He paused, his deep voice cracking slightly. "You are a daughter of Pythia. Because you've been with me, exposed to the Chronoweaver and…you're part of something bigger, we are a part of something bigger."

Rose blinked as he strode further into the room absorbing what he said despite a wave of dizziness that seemed to envelop her. She tried to focus on holding the sonic steady. As he carried her deeper into the dark, crumbling house, her head began to clear slightly. "You never finished the story about what my mother told you. How did she know this was here?"

The Doctor turned down a darkened hallway, the only illumination the blue glow from his sonic. He didn't want to talk, but Rose needed him to do just that. It was important she stay focused, in the here and now and not give in to what was tugging at her time line.

"I told you she mentioned my House disappearing during a time of great need. The rest is about a daughter of Pythia, hidden in plain sight, secreted away in the bosom of evil and yet untouched by it. When time calls, she will answer and look into the heart of the storm and lead the way to peace."

He stopped and pressed his back against a door. He grunted as he exerted pressure against it and eventually slammed his shoulder into it repeatedly. All the while he struggled, Rose thought about what he said.

It didn't make sense. She was nothing special. She didn't even think she was real, just the result of lies and manipulation. How could someone who was the product of those who manipulated the world to their own selfish plan still be some mythical saviour of the Pythia? It didn't make sense and why would the Doctor believe it? He didn't seem too keen on most mythology.

A Roar sounded. The echo of it shook the structure of the house, dust and dirt crumbled around them. The Doctor stilled his efforts and cursed.

Rose dimmed the sonic torch setting. "Doctor, tell me that's not what I think it is."

The Doctor let out a slow breath. "If you're thinking it's an Ursus, one of those mythical Toclafane that's supposed to inhabit these woods…"

Another roar sounded, this one closer and they could hear claws scraping on stone. "Doctor, whatever you're gonna do, do it fast!" Rose ordered, her hands gripping into his arms

The Doctor took a couple steps back. "Hang on," he warned as he ran at the door, throwing his shoulder at it until they both tumbled into the dark room. Rose rolled over away from him, feeling the dusty stone floor for the sonic. The Doctor scampered up on his knees and grabbed their packs. He reached to pull Rose up just as her fingers grasped the long thin cylinder of the sonic.

"I'm all right," she said as they continued making their way deeper into the house, the roar and growls of the Ursus spurring them on. At times, they had to squeeze between jagged rocky outcroppings protruding into the house. Still, they kept moving. The Doctor seemed to know what he was looking for and Rose followed him, her faith in him being the only thing keeping her focused. The tingling and dizziness from earlier was still at the periphery of her senses but for some reason, the deeper they ventured into the house, the less it bothered her.

After they reached one doorway where they had to literally drop down to the next level of the house, she decided the silence was too great. "So you told me the myth but how did my mother know your House was here?"

As they dropped into the next room, their feet hitting the dirt encrusted floor, the Doctor answered. "She didn't. All she knew was that this place was sacred. The Pythia started the ghost stories to keep people away. Well, that and they may have hidden few sacred stones that did the telepathic equivalent of giving anyone who came here an uncomfortable feeling. Clever of them, that. Your mother, though, she dreamed about this place. She didn't know why, only that it was important. Told me she dreamed of you running through the woods up here."

"So you came here based on my Mother's dream and some Pythia myth?" Rose asked, unable to keep the disbelief from her voice.

The Doctor sighed and looked back toward where Rose held the sonic. "Give me a little credit! When she told me the story, her voice changed and I could see it in her eyes. It wasn't just a story to her. She was serious and, to be honest, a bit threatening. She wasn't exactly happy with me. But, she saw what we were together and whether or not she liked it, she knew what it meant and that it was time for her to unburden herself of the secret she'd kept. It wasn't easy for her, Rose. But, she knew I would keep you safe."

"But still, it all just seems a bit too much," Rose answered as they turned down another corridor, the sound of the beast that hunted them shaking the ceiling above them, causing dust to rain down.

The Doctor was silent for a few moments before replying. "I know. But she mentioned seeing the Lycan in her dream. She saw the Lycan with you running through forest. She saw the Lycan before you ever disappeared. I can't ignore that and I couldn't ignore that she was Pythia and knew so much about the past and a hint of the future."

Rose swallowed hard. The Lycan. It made sense. She didn't understand how or why but it just fit. Everything fit and yet it still hurt knowing her mother had all this knowledge for so long and kept it from her. She even wondered about the Reverend Mum. Did she realize Rose would play some role in all of this? The answer was yes. Rose could see that now.

The Reverend Mother had been preparing her. Rose's eyes teared up as she realized her beloved Reverend Mum was also gone. She knew this with certainty. And with this realization came a new determination and strength. Her mother had lived a lie and protected her so she could do this thing; so she could help save this world. The Reverend Mum had taken her in; taught her and prepared her; especially her last day at the temple. The Reverend Mum knew Rose's destiny. She would be what they needed her to be. She would be what the Doctor needed her to be and she would save this world.

The Doctor sensed Rose's distress, pain and ultimate recognition of who she was. He had undergone his own acceptance of what he must do. He hated that she had suffered. Everything about this angered him. Rose deserved better than to be some instrument to stop ruthless, power mad people. He had to keep her safe. No matter what had to be done, he was determined that Rose would live and not suffer any more at the hands of others. He cared little for his own fate. He had his own sins to answer for and he would. Death didn't frighten him.

After traversing the maze of corridors in the broken house, they reached a dead end. The Doctor cursed and punched at the rock wall in frustration as Rose stood by and watched him vent his anger.

"It bloody well can't end here!" he shouted, his voice echoing and a roar in the distance answering him. He leaned against the rock surface of the wall and rubbed his hands over his face.

"Doctor, we'll figure it out," Rose offered and rubbed his arm reassuringly.

He shot away from the wall. "No we won't!" he shouted, gesturing with his arms. "It's the same thing it's always been! Run and stay alive; avoid the traps; solve the stinking riddles some pompous arsholes throw at us all the while we've got some nasty hungry beast breathing down our necks! And for what? So some power mad Time Lords can get their jollies watching us run about! He stared at the ceiling. "You lot think this is funny? Well piss off 'cos I'm done!" He stormed across the room and picked up a rock and threw it at the stone wall.

Rose watched silently knowing she had to let him get it out of his system. In her heart, she didn't think they were done for. She believed they were still on track and close to reaching their goal.

"Doctor, you can't give up now," she said sternly, and picked up the sonic he'd dropped in his temper tantrum.

He looked at her in the blue light of the sonic and smiled. "Rose Tyler, I was going to show you so many things and take you so many places."

"You still are," she countered.

"Am I?" he asked sarcastically. "Fine, look around!" he said, holding up his arms and gesturing all around. "Welcome to House Tardis, the mythical traveling house that isn't going anywhere. See it in all its decrepit glory!" He spun around gesturing at the cathedral ceiling of the room and then he stopped. He grabbed the sonic from her hand, pointed it up and laughed.

Rose arched a brow at him wondering as to his state of mind and then she looked up and saw it. There was a doorway hidden amongst the rocks above them. With a manic smile, he gave her a shove up the wall and the two of them climbed up to the open doorway. As Rose slid into the room, she felt a calm and peace in this place. It felt good.

She lay on the floor, her pack beneath her as the Doctor crawled up beside her. "This is it, isn't?" she asked. "The Zero Room."

The Doctor inhaled deeply and sighed. "Yes. This is where we need to be."

The spine tingling roar of the Ursus echoed, reminding them they were not alone. The Doctor jumped up and looked around, running his hands along the walls of the room. Rose watched him as she pulled her pack off and began digging inside for the Chronoweaver. She found it wrapped in some cloth, untouched and breathed a sigh of relief. A scraping sound caught her attention. She set the Chronoweaver down and crawled over to the doorway and looked down into the darkness. It was down there, the Ursus, its armoured body and claws scraping against the rock as it tried to climb up toward them. Rose sat back abruptly, memories of the giant bear-like beast and its long sharp teeth still fresh in her mind.

"Um Doctor, we have a problem."

The Doctor was still focused on the room, examining cracks in the walls. He grunted his acknowledgment.

The Ursus roared in frustration as it struggled to claw into the rocks. Rose shot up and looked around the small dark rectangular room for a door to shut. She didn't find one.

"Doctor! We have a problem!" she repeated, louder this time.

He turned to her, looking annoyed and then he noticed the growling and Rose pointing down at the door. He walked over and looked down at the snarling beast which had now somehow sunk its claws in a crack in the rock face and was slowly climbing upward.

"Right," he said, backing away. Rose looked him expectantly.

"Here," he said as he walked over and shoved at a large stone table in the centre or the room. It didn't budge. He looked at Rose. "Well don't just stand there like a tourist! Help me!" he snapped.

She ran over and the two of them strained and struggled to shove the large, dusty stone table over to the doorway. After much straining, they had it close to the doorway. The moved to opposite sides and knelt down to tip it over. They grunted as they tried to shift the heavy table up, their feet sliding on the sandy floor.

"It's not working!" Rose panted out.

"Yes it is! On my mark, together!" he ordered. He counted to three and the two of them shoved upward in unison, their feet scrambling for purchase, their faces scrunched with the stress until the table began to budge. They groaned and cursed, muscles straining as they lifted up the stone table until the table top was wedged against the open doorway, blocking it. The Doctor soniced the edges, heating the stone wall it touched until it was more firmly sealed. They both stood back bent over and panting.

"Now what?" Rose asked. When suddenly, she cried out, falling to the ground and her head lolled to the side.

The Doctor ran to her, skidding on the floor as he rushed to kneel by her side. He lifted her up, wrapping his arms around her upper body and shaking her slightly. "Come on Rose! Stay with me just a few more minutes. We're almost there!" he shouted desperately.

Rose blinked her eyes a few times, trying to focus and looked up at him confusion etched on her face. She looked around disoriented before focusing on him again and reached up caressing his cheek. "I know you," she whispered and furrowed her brow as if trying to work through something. "Are you a friend of my father's?" she asked unsure.

The Doctor felt as if the Ursus had just burst in and ripped out his heart. His enemies, the soulless, greedy bastards were stealing her from him bit by bit. They were going to make him watch as they ripped apart her mind and memories. A primitive and untamed anger swelled within him. He would not let them have her.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was written for Teawhovian for her birthday although I don't think I realized at the time it would be a novel LOL! Still, I'm glad it was because she's an amazing writer and I wanted to write her something she could dig into and curl up with on a rainy day. At least, I hope that's what this story is - eep I tried! I must admit, I was a little teary eyed with this last chapter. Part because of a couple pieces of dialog and part because it means this story is completed. I want to thank everyone for the lovely reviews, PMs and tags. It really means a lot and is so encouraging when you get in that self doubt head space. So thank you so much and I hope you like it!

_The Doctor felt as if the Ursus had just burst in and ripped out his heart. His enemies, the soulless, greedy bastards were stealing her from him bit by bit. They were going to make him watch as they ripped apart her mind and memories. A primitive and untamed anger swelled within him. He would not let them have her._

He pulled her tightly against him, his fingers biting into her arms and leaned his forehead against hers. "Rose Tyler, don't you even think of leaving me. You promised. In that cave with the storm raging around us, you promised you'd stay with me. I'm holding you to it," he said in a broken voice, willing her to remember, focusing on his memories of her in an attempt to show her through their link who they were together.

The Doctor had never wanted anything more in his life. Rose meant too much to him. She symbolized the good in this world with her compassion, intelligence, wit and devotion to do the right thing no matter how difficult. So many times she had stood by him when most, including his own family, would have left him to suffer and rot. He never knew love until he met her. It was real and tangible, burrowed deep inside of him. He would happily beg, barter and steal to have her in his life. So many memories pulsed in his mind and through their bond; and not just memories, but emotions as well.

Her eyes had gone blank and her face slack. For the Doctor, it seemed like an eternity that she remained that way, so lifeless in his arms as he willed her back to him. And then…tears welled in her eyes. The flame of recognition, the fire of her devotion and love for him blazed and she saw _him_.

"Doctor," she whispered uncertainly, her forehead resting against his and her arms tightened around him. With a cry she curled herself around him. "My Doctor," she whispered into his neck.

"My Rose," he cried back. He pulled away, his eyes wet from the fear of losing her. "No more delays. We do this now. He reached over for the cloth covered Chronoweaver sitting off to the side. Rose grabbed his arm, stilling him.

"Maybe you shouldn't touch it?"

"It'll be fine this time. We're doing this together."

"But you don't know that for sure," she worried, remembering how madness had consumed him in the meadow.

"I know that you stopped me before. This time, we'll be together, balancing each other, two halves of a whole."

Rose looked nervously on as he gently unwrapped the stone and set it down on the floor between them. She sat kneeling and stared at the stone box. It seemed unremarkable. The etchings on it were primitive, nothing more than strange geometric shapes. Any other time she wouldn't have given it much thought. It would just be an ancient relic from a time long past; except, it wasn't. It was powerful and dangerous. This simple box contained such capacity for destruction that her people had murdered for it. Lives were lost, altered and entire families destroyed.

A snarling and scratching sound startled her from her observations. She looked at the door covered with the stone table. It trembled and dust raised all around it. The Ursus was there trying to dig its way in. She looked over at the Doctor who was focused entirely on the Chornoweaver.

Rose did her best to mimic him, trying not to think about the Ursus or anything outside of the Zero Room. It was difficult. She could feel outside forces directed at her. Disorientation was almost overwhelming and she gripped her head, fingers pressing on her temples as she fought back.

The Doctor continued focusing on the Chronoweaver and Rose directed her attention on him. She remembered meeting him in the prison, her mistrust, fear and resentment. Memories of her time in the Death Zone were equally filled with horror, triumph and gratitude to him which evolved into love. Her skills sharpened and the two of them grew closer. There was escape, a desert and finally reaching their salvation in the mountains and in each other's arms and bodies. Disagreements, argument and mistrust followed but did not destroy them. They conquered that which tested them drawing them closer and bonding them tighter. Even madness or family turmoil could not rip them apart. It was that intertwining of their lives, minds and time lines that Rose clung to.

The Doctor was afraid. He would never voice this but almost losing Rose as their enemies attempted to rewrite her life had shaken him. He already felt responsible for the billions of lives on his planet. All of those innocent or not so innocent people could be potentially affected by anything he did with the Chronoweaver. Even given responsibility for those billions of lives, it was still different with Rose. It was personal. He needed her.

After his family was erased and having lost everyone he knew or cared about, he just couldn't lose Rose. He knew he needed to suppress his fear and anger that Rose had been attacked. Strong emotions affected his concentration and integration of his mind into the Chronoweaver. It was a challenge. He could feel Rose in the periphery of his senses, reaching deep inside to find that piece of herself that connected to him. When she reached that meditative state, it was like pieces of a puzzle clicking together.

The stone box opened, bathing the small room in a white light. Rose opened her eyes and gasped. It was like nothing she'd ever experienced. Inside the box, clear crystal shards emitted tendrils of white light swirling upward, floating and dancing through she and the Doctor. But it was more than just ribbons of light. There was a song, a melody that vibrated through her and everything. All things were connected in a symphony of existence. She looked at the Doctor, his blue eyes glowing with the light and could see the same awe reflected in him. Rose had never felt so alive.

She reached over the Chronoweaver, her hands passing through the tendrils of light and grasped the Doctor's hands. They knelt before each other in a state of temporal grace with the Chronoweaver binding them to it. Tears pricked at her eyes as senses she didn't know she possessed awakened. Each breath she took reverberated in time as if she was breathing in unison with millions of life forms. Her skin pricked with energy and her hair floated around her in a halo of gold. She felt like she was the centre of everything and yet she was everywhere at once; floating in the cosmos, extending herself outward along times majesty and experiencing what was, is and ever could be. All the pain and doubt flowed away from her. Her only anchor to her body was the Doctor.

The Doctor had experienced the Chronoweaver before but not like this. Before was overwhelming, power ripping through him as his family was destroyed and erased. That time, it was about war, fighting, defending and stopping those who would commit atrocities with time. He had been designated warrior, set to do whatever he had to, take any action no matter how heinous to end those who would use time as their weapon. As they chose to wield time against him, so he used it to fight. They had clashed; ripped at each other; allowed lust for power and vengeance to seep into their purposes and corrupted time.

Time had fought back. It jerked the Doctor from his vendetta. He'd seen the truth of it. It stopped him from pursing a dark path and blinded him to the Time Storm prepared to destroy everything. At least, that's what he thought at first.

Now, however, he looked back and he could see what was hidden from him at the time. There had been a golden essence, a tiny thread barely noticeable unless you were looking for it that had swirled into the time lines that were adjacent to him. It wasn't a direct influence but it was there. The song was more of a howl. At the time he experienced its vibrations, he'd assumed it was part of the Time Storm. Now he knew it wasn't.

It wasn't the scream of time ripping apart. It was a warning and it beckoned him, influencing him to stop and see the present need; to save lives and to live. He smiled as he observed it, now knowing that like so many other times, it had been his golden girl there to save him. Even without knowing it, she saved him. She was his siren and saviour. He watched as she embraced time and it embraced her.

The giddiness of this moment was tempered though by those that still sought to destroy them and control time. As much as he felt warmth fill him as he and Rose revelled in the glory of time swirling around them, they had a job to do. He could see shadows lurking around the glow of the light, reaching out toward Rose not unlike the shadow creatures in the Death Zone. The analogy spurred his protective nature. He whispered, "Rose."

There was a smile on her face as she looked over at him. He hated to remind her of their task. "It's time, Rose. We have to end this."

Her smile fell as his words sank in and she focused on the shadows now surrounding them, whispering and probing the light filled sanctuary they had created. She nodded and allowed him to guide their task. She watched as he focused on the shadows, batting them away and how time flared around them. It worried her that this was his first priority. She watched as he continued on. It felt like war to her.

"Doctor," she whispered, her voice vibrating in the time lines. "This is wrong."

He remained focused on his task of unmaking what the Shadows made. It was a never ending cycle and neither side was winning.

"No, Doctor. This is not the way. You are the Doctor, a Time Lord of Gallifrey, a scholar, explorer and a healer. That's what we have to do, heal the rupture, heal time not wage war and destroy it."

"But I have to Rose. If I don't they'll do it again. It'll happen over and over again until everything is lost!" he answered, that slight glint of madness reflected in his eyes that had grown there with each time he forged against their adversaries.

"Doctor, it's time to stop," she whispered and squeezed his hands.

He sucked in a breath and looked at her. The tension and need to protect and defend ebbed and he let go. H gazed into her golden brown eyes. "I don't know what will happen," he said in a broken voice. "You could disappear, be lost, your family never existed; our world could be unmade and our species cease to exist."

A golden tear trailed down her face. "I know," she said softly and shut her eyes for a moment, seeing her mother, brother and father in her mind along with the Reverend Mother and other friends. She looked at him. "What would you give to save them, your family? What would you give to save our people?" she asked.

"Don't ask me that! Please Rose," he said brokenly. "I can't lose you, love."

"I love you more than anything," she said to him, her own voice hitching, tears freely falling down her face. "You are my life."

"Don't make me!" he begged. "Please!" His grip on her hand tightened painfully.

"We have to let go, heal time and let her sort what must be."

The Doctor felt himself sob and begged to time and any deity that would listen to not strip him of his Rose, of a love he didn't know he could have. He looked back at her to find her warm gaze on him even when the room around them shuddered and time whipped into a frenzy he knew all too well. It had done this once before and he had tempered and focused it. Now Rose was asking him to direct all the temporal energy on one thought, heal time, all the time lines on Gallifrey and those that expanded outward from it, to send a burst throughout time and space regardless of the consequences.

He felt the door to the zero chamber shatter. Dust and rocks flew at them suspended in time. He heard screams from the shadows as the Ursus bounded into them in their own time streams. The Lycan appeared next to Rose and the Doctor knew she would be safe. The Lycan had always protected her. A calming peace infused him and he gazed deep into her eyes.

He could feel her fear but also her love and faith. "I believe in you…in us. No matter what happens, I will find you. I swear it!" she promised.

"Not if I find you first," he answered, smiling at her, whispering how much he loved her through their telepathic link as he released his hold on the temporal power, allowing the Chronoweaver full access to both he and Rose. It rushed through them consuming them and their thoughts, of healing , saving people, preserving what must be and of love, their eternal love and faith in each other. A burning light filled the zero room and exploded outward, beyond the house, mountain and forest until it enveloped the entire planet and beyond. It was quiet and swift. Time was cleansed.

Dwdwdwdwdwdwdwdw

White gauzy curtains floated in the gentle breeze as Rose's eyes fluttered open. She stretched out on the soft blue sheets and blankets as the tinkling sound of silver leafed trees mixed with the chirping of sparrows nesting near the open window.

Rose rubbed sleep from her eyes and sat up, the strap of her yellow sundress falling down her shoulder. She sighed as she slipped out of bed and stretched upward, reaching toward the ceiling of her bed chamber. She'd had the oddest dream. She rubbed her eyes again and padded across the stone floor toward the loo where she splashed water on her face and ran a comb through her hair. She looked into the mirror and found herself fixated on her reflection.

She didn't look any different. Her blonde hair curled about her shoulders, pale skin, lips that were a touch to big, ordinary nose and brown eyes. She reached up and touched her cheek. Was she a bit pale? An image flashed in her mind of herself dressed in a leather corset and trousers, gazing at her reflection in water. Her skin had been a more golden brown and her hair plaited.

She stood back away from the mirror. Something was off. There was something she needed to remember…but what? She slowly turned around and looked at the room, running her fingers along the yellow and beige stone wall. It was a simple bed chamber with a large wooden four poster bed dominating the centre of the room. There was a table next to it with a lantern and a large wooden desk filled with bric-a-brac on the other side. A lush blue and gold carpet was tossed haphazardly on the floor. It was dotted yellow stars, constellations on the dark blue background.

Rose crossed over it, her bare feet sinking into the soft fibres before she exited the room into a hall. It was softly lit and empty. She heard nothing. Was she alone? She looked down at her long yellow dress that gathered just beneath her breasts. She felt odd dressed like this as if she was missing something. A dagger flashed in her mind and she automatically felt at her waist and thigh.

She leaned against a wall for a moment, her mind racing. Her memories were jumbled. Where were her parents and brother? As she walked, more memories ghosted in her mind. A temple; a Pythian priestess; riding through scarlet fields; and a man with piercing blue eyes. She paused as she thought of this man. He was important, the most important man in her life. Her heart hammered in her chest. Something was wrong. She had to find him.

The faster she ran, the more the corridors seemed to twist and turn. Rose began to wonder if she was still asleep, caught up in some strange dream but then she caught sight of her Lycan and calmed down. The Lycan was at end of a hall and trotted away so Rose followed her. The Lycan lead her into a large sun room leading out into a garden. She ran her hand over the Lycan's fur as she stepped outside.

The scent of jasmine made her smile. It felt almost calming. She looked out across the valley, the scarlet grasses moving like waves in a vermillion ocean. She loved living in the mountains. Again, she paused. She lived in the mountains? Rose looked back at the massive stone house which almost seem to blend into the mountain as if it were a part of it.

Why was she having so much difficulty thinking? Rose wandered down into the garden until she found a sitting area with a lounge chair. She lay down and stared up at the orange sky, the suns setting into the horizon at the late hour of the day. The Lycan lay at her side.

Her head began to pound and she rubbed at her temples. Again she thought of the man with blue eyes, dressed in leather. Her face flushed at several prominent memories: a passionate night in a cave and an even more salacious bathing adventure. Words echoed in her mind. Promises of never leaving; of always being together and of finding one another. She bolted up staring down at the Lycan. "I have to find him!" she said with a slight panic in her voice as she realized she had no idea where she was.

"Not unless he finds you first," a deep masculine voice rang out.

Rose turned to find him, her blue eyed lover, the man she had promised her forever to leaning against a tree holding a pear and grimacing. He was the tall, muscular man dressed in the leather breast plate and tight leather trousers she remembered but it was his eyes that triggered so many memories to wash over her.

"Doctor," she breathed and raced across the garden and launched herself at him, her mouth slamming into his as her fingers dug into his dark short crop hair. He grunted from the impact, his back against the tree as he wrapped his arms around her.

When they finally came up for air, she gazed up at him, her eyes wet with tears. "My Doctor," she said again and wrapped her arms around him, rubbing her cheek into his leather breastplate.

"Rose," he breathed back as if it were a prayer of thanks. "How much do you remember?"

She pulled back and looked at him. "I…it's a bit scrambled. I didn't remember anything when I woke up but now…"

"Had a nice kip did you?" he teased.

She grinned up at him and led him back to the sitting area where the Lycan growled at him. Rose giggled and curled up with him on the lounge chair, their legs tangled together and her head resting on his shoulder, inhaling the scent of leather, spice and just him.

She told him of waking up in this house that was strange yet felt like home; and she told him of knowing she had to find him. Her memories were still blurred but coming into focus.

He looked at her as if he was parched and she was the spring offering him salvation. "They'll clear up in time. All you need to know is that we're safe here and we did what had to be done. Time was kind to us."

Rose sat up as more memories became clear. "We exploded." She looked at him, feeling frightened.

"We did," he said nodding his head and smiled brightly. "Boom!" Then his smile faded. "We healed time but there was a cost."

Rose's hand came to her mouth as she began to feel how different the world was. All the senses that had been overloaded in the Time Storm slowly awakened. "Doctor, I can feel…" she couldn't finished her sentence. She was too overwhelmed.

He sat up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling into her neck. "Yes, things are different. Time did a bit of a reset. Just not the way either you or I remember it. Some people lived; others were never born and some were consumed by time when they couldn't let it go like we did. It's a different world out there, a different universe."

Rose trembled at this thought. "The Death Zone?"

"Gone, erased. No one remembers it."

"But we do." She turned in his arms, shaking with emotion. "We remember everything. How?"

"We were part of it, a complicated event in space and time, you might say." He leaned into her and laid a gentle kiss on her lips. "We became part of the solution, vessels of time."

"So we remember," she said, gazing out across the garden, watching a pink butterfly, flit among the flowers. She turned to him, more tears glistening in her eyes. "My family?" she asked.

His face fell. "I'm so sorry, Rose."

"No," she croaked out and felt her body shake as she leaned into his shoulder. He cradled her and whispered soft melodic ancient words, rocking her. "Things happened differently. Your parents met and married but they didn't have you. Your father died not long after your brother was born. Your mother lives in a Pythian Temple with him."

Rose pulled away and looked at him. "She doesn't know me? Doesn't remember anything? How can I be here if I was never born?"

He tapped her on the temple. "Complicated event in space and time. Neither of was born and yet we're here because time needs us to be here."

She looked down, her fingers tracing a design on his breastplate. It didn't make sense yet some part of her accepted it. "And my mother?"

"I paid her a visit when I learned of your father. She doesn't remember you. Only remembers the myth about you. The Sisters in the temple though, I think they know. Didn't say much to me. I don't think they cared for me much," he explained with a slight smile.

Rose laughed and cried. "You were rude weren't you?"

"Might have done," he answered with a shrug and then turned her so she sat on his lap, cupping her cheek. "I'm sorry, Rose. I know you loved them. I promise we'll see that your mother and brother do well."

Rose nodded her head. She reached up and wrapped her fingers around his wrist as she rubbed her cheek into his calloused hand. "What about your family and the Chronoweaver?"

He looked away. "Gone. That time is over. The ancient devices dispersed in time, lost, buried and forgotten." He paused. "Well, one of them was found. Fantastic time loop that, but shouldn't be a problem."

Rose's eyes widened as she realized he meant the Chronoweaver."

He nodded his head. "Yeah, it's what you're thinking. We knew it wasn't a coincidence. Guess we figured we'd give ourselves a hand."

Rose shook her head in disbelief. It was hard to comprehend all that had happened and then her thoughts turned to his lost family and how she knew what that felt like now. "I'm sorry about your family," she whispered sincerely.

He looked back at her. "I'm not. That corrupt time is over. It's a new world out there with new opportunities. I'd sacrifice it all again to make it better and still have you. You are worth it."

Rose shook her head refusing to acknowledge she would be worth such loss but he wouldn't let her. "Yes you are. The world, the universe is a far better and richer place with you in it," he assured her.

She leaned into him and gently pressed her lips against his, her tongue swiping at his bottom lip until she could deepen it. His hands slid down her back and pulled her flush against him where she found him ready for more than a quick snog in the garden. She smiled as she pulled back.

"Guess you missed me then?" she teased.

He snorted and stood up, swinging her up in his arms. "Just a bit. Could use a bath too. Bloody Time Storm tossed me out in a field miles outside the city. I had to walk back here after I figured out where here was."

"So no nice soft bed for you then?" she giggled.

He snorted. "Not exactly although I did promise you lots of nice soft beds in our future." He said, smirking as he swiftly carried her into the house.

Rose's laughter echoed in the house as he whisked her away to show her how much he missed her. And Thus a new era on Gallifrey was born although it was not without its trials and tribulations. It was led by twelve great Houses now instead of the twenty of Rose's time. Greed and lust for power still existed.

This new world was also not without its own mythology. There was a myth about a lost house of Gallifrey, House Tardis, the wandering House. It was said it would appear in times of need only to disappear when that need was met and the danger vanquished. No one knew much about the mysterious house except it was haunted by a wolf, a mysterious golden haired girl and a powerful lord of time with eyes like ice and glare that would strike fear in the bravest of men. They were the guardians of time and protectors of Gallifrey, husband and wife, master and mistress of the most mysterious House on Gallifrey, the Traveling House.


End file.
